New agent blocks stress response

(Image: Pixabay CC0) - If the body's natural stress response gets knocked off balance, it can result in physical and mental health disorders. Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed an agent capable of selectively inhibiting this response. Stress isn't merely an oppressive feeling we experience when we're overwhelmed; it's the body's natural reaction to acute or persistent strain. This stress response is what enables us to quickly adapt to danger or a shift in conditions. But if this response - which is essential for survival - gets out of control and becomes a permanent state, it can trigger a wide range of negative effects: obesity, cardiovascular diseases, increased susceptibility to infection, memory disorders and depression are all typical effects of chronic stress. Up to now, medical treatment has focused almost entirely on the symptoms of these secondary conditions. "The only approved drug that directly intervenes in the regulation of stress responses has a host of unwanted side effects.