“New evidence” has been uncovered that shows how acute stress can lead to prematurely gray hair, the scientists said.
The research, which was published in the journal Nature, was led by a team from Harvard University in Massachusetts in the United States.
While studying the pain experienced by mice when injected with the resiniferatoxin toxin, they found that the subjects’ fur had turned white in a four-week period.
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This inspired them to delve into the role of stress in making hair turn gray at an accelerated speed.
Scientists exposed the mice to different types of stressors, including pain, psychological stress and moderation.
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Each stressor has been found to cause a depleted number of melanocyte stem cells (MeSC).
Melanocyte cells, which are found on each individual hair follicle, produce the pigment melanin, which determines the color of the hair.
A person’s supply of MeSC decreases over time, causing his hair to turn gray or white as he ages.
While previous research has shown an association between stress and premature graying, the exact biological mechanism has remained uncertain.
During their study, Harvard researchers noted that the stress experienced by the mice activated their sympathetic nervous system, triggering the release of the norepinephrine neurotransmitter.
1/32 Jaden Smith
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PA Archive / PA Images
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Aurore Marechal / PA Wire
3/32 Katy Perry
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5/32 Emma Roberts
The American actor is playful with his red carpet appearance and can show off a number of different styles like this simple blonde bob …
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… and this rigid cut fringe. Few could carry such a hard style with Roberts’ girlish charm.
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8/32 Ariana Grande
… and a super high ponytail like this.
PA Archive / PA Images
9/32 Margot Robbie
The Australian actor is not so easily recognizable with his blackberry locks …
POPE
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Alamy Stock photo
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… until he shocked the world looking for a platinum bob.
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The model transformed into an actress has exchanged the shades of caramel honey …
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… to a platinum buzz ready for the rockstar.
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… leading many to believe she was a natural redhead.
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22/32 Harry Styles
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23/32 Kylie Jenner
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… and this yellow highlighter shade is no different.
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… showing off a more refined and backward look at the Cannes film festival.
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27/32 Zayn Malik
The young heartbreaker broke the hearts of thousands of people when he changed his classic band haircut for long, floppy hair …
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28/32 Zayn Malik
… for a high fashion platinum buzzcut.
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29/32 Miley Cyrus
The American singer and actor has worn many hairstyles over the years, going from strawberry blonde Hannah Montana to small …
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30/32 Miley Cyrus
… to an elf inspired by David Bowie in 2013.
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31/32 Natalie Portman
The actor was famous for his close-shaven buzz, worn for V for Vendetta …
Alamy
32/32 Natalie Portman
… but since then she has refreshed her locks to show off a more flowing style, which touches the shoulders, showing how her hair has grown, because sometimes she does.
Alamy
1/32 Jaden Smith
He may still be a teenager, but a life in the spotlight has subjected Smith to many hair transformations, changing them from this do …
PA Archive / PA Images
2/32 Jaden Smith
… to a more stripped blond hum.
Aurore Marechal / PA Wire
3/32 Katy Perry
Known for its avant-garde aesthetic, the pop sensation of the United States has a penchant for hairstyle, starting from this look inspired by Betty Boop …
PA Archive / PA Images
4/32 Katy Perry
… to a dynamic and slick dynamism.
Getty Images
5/32 Emma Roberts
The American actor is playful with his red carpet appearance and can show off a number of different styles like this simple blonde bob …
Getty Images
6/32 Emma Roberts
… and this rigid cut fringe. Few could carry such a hard style with Roberts’ girlish charm.
Getty Images
7/32 Ariana Grande
The American singer has locks as long as Rapunzel, but is inclined to confuse her look from time to time by removing it from her face in a no-frills way like this …
Getty Images
8/32 Ariana Grande
… and a super high ponytail like this.
PA Archive / PA Images
9/32 Margot Robbie
The Australian actor is not so easily recognizable with his blackberry locks …
POPE
10/32 Margot Robbie
… because we are much more used to seeing her show off her distinctive blonde closures, designed here in one fell swoop.
POPE
11/32 Kim Kardashian
The reality star was known for her distinctive brown padlocks …
Alamy Stock photo
12/32 Kim Kardashian
… until he shocked the world looking for a platinum bob.
Characteristics of Rex
13/32 Kate Hudson
The Hollywood star had become synonymous with perfect hair like Princess Marigold …
Alamy Stock photo
14/32 Kate Hudson
… before having shaved everything for a role, revealing her natural mousy blonde hair color.
Characteristics of Rex
15/32 Dear Delevingne
The model transformed into an actress has exchanged the shades of caramel honey …
Alamy Stock photo
16/32 Dear Delevingne
… for an androgynous goblin cut in 2017.
Rex
17/32 Zoe Kravitz
The Big Little Lies star has gone from cascading blocks …
Alamy
18/32 Zoe Kravitz
… to a platinum buzz ready for the rockstar.
Rex
19/32 Emma Stone
Naturally blonde, Stone has revealed that she is more in demand after dyeing her hair …
Rex
20/32 Emma Stone
… leading many to believe she was a natural redhead.
Rex
21/32 Harry Styles
The former One Direction frontman allowed his hair to become wild and free in his boyband days …
Alamy
22/32 Harry Styles
… but he switched to a more mature and shorter cut when he started his solo career.
Alamy
23/32 Kylie Jenner
The star of reality is not to be avoided by dramatic hair transformations …
Rex
24/32 Kylie Jenner
… and this yellow highlighter shade is no different.
Rex
25/32 Justin Timberlake
The singer and actor have come a long way since the time of the curly haired N’Sync …
Alamy
26/32 Justin Timberlake
… showing off a more refined and backward look at the Cannes film festival.
Alamy
27/32 Zayn Malik
The young heartbreaker broke the hearts of thousands of people when he changed his classic band haircut for long, floppy hair …
Rex
28/32 Zayn Malik
… for a high fashion platinum buzzcut.
Rex
29/32 Miley Cyrus
The American singer and actor has worn many hairstyles over the years, going from strawberry blonde Hannah Montana to small …
Alamy
30/32 Miley Cyrus
… to an elf inspired by David Bowie in 2013.
Alamy
31/32 Natalie Portman
The actor was famous for his close-shaven buzz, worn for V for Vendetta …
Alamy
32/32 Natalie Portman
… but since then she has refreshed her locks to show off a more flowing style, which touches the shoulders, showing how her hair has grown, because sometimes she does.
Alamy
The team found that the release of norepinephrine caused MeSC to “move away” from the hair follicles, causing the hair to turn gray accordingly.
Dr Ya-Chieh Hsu, Harvard professor of regenerative biology and senior author of the study, said that the study lays “the foundation for understanding how stress affects other body tissues and organs.”
“Understanding how our tissues change under stress is the key first step towards any treatment that can halt or restore the harmful impact of stress,” said Dr. Hsu, adding: “We still have a lot to learn in this area.”
In addition to assessing the impact of norepinephrine neurotransmitter release, the researchers also found that when mice were exposed to stress in their experiments, a specific gene caused the encoding of a protein called CDK.
When the mice were injected with a drug that hinders CDK encoding, this prevented their fur from turning white.
Dr Thiago Mattar Cunha, coauthor of the study and researcher of the Research Center on Inflammatory Diseases in São Paulo, Brazil, explained the significance of this discovery.
“This finding shows that CDK participates in the process and could therefore be a therapeutic target,” said Dr. Cunha
“It is too early to know if one day it will become a goal in clinical practice, but it is worth exploring further.”
The researchers said that although their findings may not provide a cure for gray hair, it is important to help understand how stress impacts various areas of the body.