Professor Stafford Lightman

Research summary

Stress related disease is a rapidly increasing feature of our society - but the mechanisms through which it causes disease are very poorly understood.

We are studying the mechanisms through which the brain recognises environmental stress and disease, and the pathways it uses to initiate appropriate responses in physiological regulation and gene transcription.  We have been particularly interested in the way the body utilises rhythmic activation of neuroendocrine response systems such as the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis to provide digital as well as analogue signals to glucocorticoid responsive tissues throughout the body.

In my clinical studies, we are developing novel ways of administrating ...

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Selected publications

• Walker, J, Terry, J & Lightman, S 2010, ‘Origin of ultradian pulsatility in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis’. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol 277., pp. 1627 - 1633
• Lightman, S & Conway-Campbell, B 2010, ‘The crucial role of pulsatile activity of the HPA axis for continuous dynamic equilibration’. Nat Rev Neurosci, vol 11., pp. 710 - 718

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View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system