This simulator demonstrates the three-step CRH-ACTH-cortisol cascade, the roughly 15 to 30 minute delay before cortisol peaks after a stressor, the negative feedback loop that shuts the axis down, and how chronic stress flattens the normal diurnal cortisol rhythm.
Trigger an acute stressor to watch CRH, ACTH, and cortisol rise in sequence over time, then toggle chronic stress mode to see how the daily cortisol rhythm and feedback response change.
Controls let you trigger an acute stressor, adjust the simulated time of day, and switch between normal and chronic stress modes to compare HPA axis behavior.
Did you know that the cortisol awakening response can raise cortisol levels by 50 percent or more within the first hour after waking, entirely independent of any external stressor?
This simulator demonstrates the three-step CRH-ACTH-cortisol cascade, the roughly 15 to 30 minute delay before cortisol peaks after a stressor, the negative feedback loop that shuts the axis down, and how chronic stress flattens the normal diurnal cortisol rhythm.
This simulator demonstrates the three-step CRH-ACTH-cortisol cascade, the roughly 15 to 30 minute delay before cortisol peaks after a stressor, the negative feedback loop that shuts the axis down, and how chronic stress flattens the normal diurnal cortisol rhythm.
Trigger an acute stressor to watch CRH, ACTH, and cortisol rise in sequence over time, then toggle chronic stress mode to see how the daily cortisol rhythm and feedback response change.
Did you know that the cortisol awakening response can raise cortisol levels by 50 percent or more within the first hour after waking, entirely independent of any external stressor?