FKBP5 and early life stress affect the hippocampus by an age-dependent mechanism.

Early life stress (ELS) adversely affects the brain and is commonly associated with the etiology of mental health disorders, like depression. In addition to the mood-related symptoms, patients with depression show dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, increased peripheral inflammation, and structural brain alterations. Although the underlying causes are unknown, polymorphisms in the FK506-binding protein 5 (FKBP5) gene, a regulator of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activity, interact with childhood adversities to increase vulnerability to depressive disorders.