Abstract:  Stress is strongly associated with depression, cardiovascular disorders and cancers. The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus are not only important regions regulating the stress response, but also the main targets of stress. Excitatory synaptic transmission plays an essential role in the brain function, which is affected by stress through altering the transmitter release and metabolism,and the expression and trafficking of postsynaptic receptors. Multiple intracellular molecular signal cascades are involved in the underlying mechanisms of the stress response. Thus, understanding these mechanisms may provide potential targets for discovering the novel therapeutic treatments of stress-associated disorders.

Key words: stress, glucocorticoid and receptors, medial prefrontal cortex, excitatory synaptic transmission, AMPA and NMDA receptors