The Anxious Brain: The Influence of Stress on the Nervous System.

This document is an editorial from the journal "Brain Sciences" discussing the influence of stress on the nervous system and its impact on anxiety and affective disorders. The editorial highlights the prevalence of anxiety disorders and their effect on quality of life, particularly in young adults. It explores the interrelations between environmental stress factors, such as psychological and biological stressors, substance misuse, and their effects on brain structure and function. The editorial also discusses the shared clinical features and underlying mechanisms of anxiety and mood disorders, as well as the role of stress in modern society. It introduces a special issue that includes nine manuscripts covering various aspects of stress and its interactions with affective disorders. The manuscripts explore topics such as suicide risk assessment, immune regulatory mechanisms, genetic factors, diagnostic validity in psychiatry, and neuroimaging as a tool for treatment response monitoring. The editorial emphasizes the need for multidisciplinary perspectives in psychiatry and the importance of considering social and cultural influences in diagnostic frameworks. Overall, the articles in this special issue provide insights into the mechanisms and pathways of anxiety and affective disorders in relation to stress. [Extracted from the article]