A brief overview of the 2016 Neurobiology of Stress Workshop.

The inaugural Neurobiology of Stress Workshop was first organized by the University of Colorado in 2010 with the intent of bringing together researchers from across the world to promote dialogue and advance research on the relationship between the underlying neurobiology of stress and its impact on mental and physical health. Due to the resounding success of the original meeting, subsequent Workshops were held at the University of Pennsylvania (2012) and University of Cincinnati (2014). In continuing the tradition of meeting in alternating years, the most recent Workshop was hosted by the University of California at Irvine (2016). This issue of Neurobiology of Stress includes several articles to provide a brief overview of the 2016 Neurobiology of Stress Workshop for the scientific community and thereby summarizes the path-breaking work in the general topic area of their session.

The meeting included a keynote presentation by Dr. Alon Chen, in which he discussed the interactions between stress and the urocortin system (Henckens et al., 2016). Symposium sessions at the meeting included discussions on: the effects of stress on the epigenome [see (Lapp and Hunter, 2016) for review]; the role of neuropeptides on stress responses [see (Harmatz et al., 2017)]; and the endocannabinoids and stress [see (Lutz et al., 2015, Morena et al., 2016) for reviews]. This issue of Neurobiology of Stress will include summary articles from several other sessions from the workshop. Jane Foster, Linda Rinaman and John Cryan provide an overview on their session that examined how stress impacts the gut-brain access; this session included Tracy Bale and Elaine Hsiao. Beyond the role of the gut-brain axis in the regulation of ingestive behaviors, this session described the roles of the gut microbiome in neurodevelopmental outcomes. This session also discussed how stress and early life experiences impacts the gut-brain axis; specifically how stress impacts the flora of the gut microbiome and thereby increases the risk of neurological disorders ranging from autism to anxiety to depressive illness and cognitive deficits. Their review highlights the advances derived from ongoing preclinical studies and also discusses the missing gaps in our knowledge base as the animal data are being translated to the clinical setting.

Bath, Radley et al. provide an overview of their session that described the structural and functional consequences of different types of stress across the developmental spectrum. This included discussions related to how maternal care impacts hippocampal development (Bath), as well as how adolescent psychosocial stress impacts mesolimbic dopamine reward circuitry and behavior (Russo). This session also examined the effects of stress associated with alcoholic binge drinking and withdrawal on BNST circuits (Pleil). Chronic unpredictable stress also elicits structural and functional deficits in the CNS and at the cellular level these alterations may result from changes in mTOR signaling, as discussed by Wohleb/Duman.

Overall, the reviews presented here are meant provide a flavor of the breadth and quality of science presented and will hopefully raise awareness of this workshop among our colleagues and their mentees engaged in stress research. In addition to scientific content and ample networking among investigators, the Workshop provided numerous opportunities for trainees at all levels to interact with established investigators in the field to discuss careers, projects, and other aspects of professional development. In this way, the Workshop provides a nurturing environment for the next generation of stress researchers as they pursue their careers.

The next Neurobiology of Stress Workshop will be held in Banff, Canada June 8 through 11, 2018 and is being organized by our colleagues at the University of Calgary. We look forward to seeing everyone in Banff!

Terrence Deak.

Lawrence Reagan.

The authors of this commentary are currently supported by the National Institutes of Health grants P50AA017823 and RO1AG043467 and the Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience at Binghamton University (TD); the Department of Veterans' Affairs grants IO1 BX001804 and I21 BX002085 and the University of South Carolina Research Foundation (LPR). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the above stated funding agencies. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.