Chronic exposure to stress predisposes to higher autoimmune susceptibility in C 57 BL /6 mice: Glucocorticoids as a double‐edged sword

Stress activates the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenocortical axis to promote the release of corticosterone ( CORT ), which consequently suppresses pathogenic stimulation of the immune system. Paradoxically, however, stress often promotes autoimmunity through yet unknown mechanisms. Here we investig…