RasGRF1 regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis specifically in early-adolescent female mice.

Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been implicated in the induction and prolongation of a variety of psychiatric disorders. As such, much effort has been made to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in its control. However, the vast majority of the studies on the HPA axis have used adult animals, and among these the majority has used males.