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Ghrelin in the regulation of body weight and metabolism.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Ghrelin, a peptide hormone predominantly produced by the stomach, was isolated as the endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor. Ghrelin is a potent stimulator of growth hormone (GH) secretion and is the only circulatory hormone known to potently enhance feeding and weight gain and to regulate energy homeostasis following central and systemic administration. Therapeutic intervention with ghrelin in catabolic situations may induce a combination of enhanced food intake, increased gastric emptying and nutrient storage, coupled with an increase in GH thereby linking nutrient partitioning with growth an...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - November 4, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Castañeda TR, Tong J, Datta R, Culler M, Tschöp MH Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

The neuroendocrinology and neuroscience of energy balance.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19854213 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology)
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - October 22, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Myers Jr MG, Simerly RB Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Sweet Talk In The Brain: Glucosensing, Neural Networks, and Hypoglycemic Counterregulation.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Glucose is the primary fuel for the vast majority of cells, and animals have evolved essential cellular, autonomic, endocrine, and behavioral measures to counteract both hypo- and hyperglycemia. A central component of these counterregulatory mechanisms is the ability of specific sensory elements to detect changes in blood glucose and then use that information to produce appropriate counterregulatory responses. Here we focus on the organization of the neural systems that are engaged by glucosensing mechanisms when blood glucose concentrations fall to levels that pose a physiological threat. We employ a classic sensori-m...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - October 13, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Watts AG, Donovan CM Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Leptin and the Systems Neuroscience of Meal Size Control.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The development of effective pharmacotherapy for obesity will benefit from a more complete understanding of the neural pathways and the neurochemical signals whose actions result in the reduction of the size of meals. This review examines the neural control of meal size and the integration of two principal sources of that control - satiation signals arising from the gastrointestinal tract and CNS leptin signaling. Four types of integrations that are central to the control of meal size are described and each involves the neurons of the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) in the dorsal hindbrain. Data discussed show that NT...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - October 13, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Grill HJ Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Metabolic hormones, dopamine circuits, and feeding.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Recent evidence has emerged demonstrating that metabolic hormones such as ghrelin and leptin can act on ventral tegmental area (VTA) midbrain dopamine neurons to influence feeding. The VTA is the origin of mesolimbic dopamine neurons that project to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) to influence behavior. While blockade of dopamine via systemic antagonists or targeted gene delete can impair food intake, local NAc dopamine manipulations have little effect on food intake. Notably, non-dopaminergic manipulations in the VTA and NAc produce more consistent effects on feeding and food choice. More recent genetic evidence supports ...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - October 13, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Narayanan NS, Guarnieri DJ, Dileone RJ Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Appetite and Reward.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The tendency to engage in or maintain feeding behavior is potently influenced by the rewarding properties of food. Affective and goal-directed behavioral responses for food have been assessed in response to various physiological, pharmacological and genetic manipulations to provide much insight into the neural mechanisms regulating motivation for food. In addition, several lines of evidence tie the actions of metabolic signals, neuropeptides and neurotransmitters to the modulation of the reward-relevant circuitry including midbrain dopamine neurons and corticolimbic nuclei that encode emotional and cognitive aspects of...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - October 8, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Fulton S Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Hypothalamic Inflammation and Energy Homeostasis: Resolving the Paradox.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Determining the effect of hypothalamic inflammatory signals on energy balance presents a paradox. On the one hand, a large body of work has identified inflammatory signaling in the hypothalamus as an essential mediator of the sickness response - the anorexia, cachexia, fever, inactivity, lethargy, anhedonia and adipsia that are triggered by systemic inflammatory stimuli and promote negative energy balance. On the other hand, numerous recent studies implicate inflammatory activation within the hypothalamus as a key factor whereby high-fat diets - and saturated fats in particular - cause central leptin and insulin resist...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - October 8, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Thaler JP, Choi SJ, Schwartz MW, Wisse BE Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Critical Determinants of Hypothalamic Appetitive Neuropeptide Development and Expression: Species Considerations.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Over the last decade there has been a striking increase in the early onset of metabolic disease, including obesity and diabetes. The regulation of energy homeostasis is complex and involves the intricate integration of peripheral and central systems, including the hypothalamus. This review provides an overview of the development of brain circuitry involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis as well as recent findings related to the impact of both prenatal and postnatal maternal environment on the development of these circuits. There is suprising evidence that both overnutrition and undernutrition impact the develo...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - October 8, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Grayson BE, Kievit P, Smith MS, Grove KL Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Integrative neurobiology of energy homeostasis - neurocircuits, signals and mediators.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Body weight is tightly controlled in a species-specific range from insects to vertebrates and organisms have developed a complex regulatory network in order to avoid either excessive weight gain or chronic weight loss. Energy homeostasis, a term comprising all processes that aim to maintain stability of the metabolic state, requires a constant communication of the different organs involved; i.e. adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, liver, pancreas and the central nervous system (CNS). A tight hormonal network ensures rapid communication to control initiation and cessation of eating, nutrient processing and partitioning of ...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - August 30, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Sánchez-Lasheras C, Könner AC, Brüning JC Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Fine-tuning the brain: microRNAs.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The brain is of bewildering complexity and numerous genes and signaling molecules have been described that affect the architecture and functioning of specific neuronal circuits. Recent evidence from genome analysis revealed the existence of a large group of novel RNA molecules with unexpected properties. One such group is called microRNAs, which are small 21-23 nucleotides RNA molecules that are transcribed by the genome. However, they are not translated into proteins but rather control translation of coding mRNA. Particularly in the brain, numerous different microRNAs are expressed in a cell type specific fashion both...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - August 11, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Vreugdenhil E, Berezikov E Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Cross-talk between orexins (hypocretins) and the neuroendocrine axes (hypothalamic-pituitary axes).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Lesioning and electrical stimulation experiments carried out during the first half of the twentieth century showed that the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) is involved in the neuroendocrine control of hormone secretion. However, the molecular basis of this phenomenon remained unclear until fifty years later when in 1998, two different laboratories discovered a new family of hypothalamic neuropeptides, the orexins or hypocretins (OX-A/Hcrt1 and OX-B/Hcrt2). Since then, remarkable evidence has revealed that orexins/hypocretins play a prominent role in regulating virtually all the neuroendocrine axes, acting as pivotal si...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - July 31, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: López M, Tena-Sempere M, Diéguez C Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

The Neuroendocrinology of the Social Brain.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19596026 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology)
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - July 9, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Young LJ Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

New insights on the neuroprotective role of sterols and sex steroids: the seladin-1/DHCR24 paradigm.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In 2000 a new gene, i.e. seladin-1 (for selective Alzheimer's disease indicator-1) was identified and found to be down regulated in vulnerable brain regions in Alzheimer's disease. Seladin-1 was considered a novel neuroprotective factor, because of its anti-apoptotic properties. Subsequently, it has been demonstrated that seladin-1 corresponds to the gene that encodes 3-beta-hydroxysterol delta-24-reductase (DHCR24), that catalyzes the synthesis of cholesterol from desmosterol. There is evidence that cholesterol plays a fundamental role in maintaining brain homeostasis. Because of its enzymatic activity, seladin-1/DHCR...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 27, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Peri A, Danza G, Benvenuti S, Luciani P, Deledda C, Rosati F, Cellai I, Serio M Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Neuroprotective actions of androgens on motoneurons.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Androgens have a variety of protective and therapeutic effects in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Here we review these effects as they related specifically to spinal and cranial motoneurons. Early in development, androgens are critical for the formation of important neuromuscular sex differences, decreasing the magnitude of normally occurring cell death in select motoneuron populations. Throughout the lifespan, androgens also protect against motoneuron death caused by axonal injury. Surviving motoneurons also display regressive changes to their neurites as a result of both direct axonal injury and loss...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 27, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Fargo KN, Foecking EM, Jones KJ, Sengelaub DR Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Impact of sex steroids on neuroinflammatory processes and experimental multiple sclerosis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Synthetic and natural estrogens as well as progestins modulate neuronal development and activity. Neurons and glia are endowed with high-affinity steroid receptors. Besides regulating brain physiology, both steroids conciliate neuroprotection against toxicity and neurodegeneration. The majority of data derive from in vitro studies, although more recently, animal models have proven the efficaciousness of steroids as neuroprotective factors. Indications for a safeguarding role also emerge from first clinical trials. Gender-specific prevalence of degenerative disorders might be associated with the loss of hormonal activit...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 27, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Kipp M, Beyer C Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Protective actions of ovarian hormones in the serotonin system of macaques.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The serotonin neurons of the dorsal and medial raphe nuclei project to all areas of the forebrain and play a key role in mood disorders. Hence, any loss or degeneration of serotonin neurons could have profound ramifications. In a monkey model of surgical menopause with hormone replacement and no neural injury, E and P decreased gene expression in the dorsal raphe nucleus of c-jun n-terminal kinase (JNK1) and kynurenine mono-oxygenase (KMO) that promote cell death. In concert, E and P increased gene expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD1), VEGF, and caspase inhibitory proteins that promote cellular resilience in the d...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 27, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Bethea CL, Reddy AP, Tokuyama Y, Henderson JA, Lima FB Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Combination treatment with progesterone and vitamin D hormone may be more effective than monotherapy for nervous system injury and disease.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
More than two decades of pre-clinical research and two recent clinical trials have shown that progesterone (PROG) and its metabolites exert beneficial effects after traumatic brain injury (TBI) through a number of metabolic and physiological pathways that can reduce damage in many different tissues and organ systems. Emerging data on 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (VDH), itself a steroid hormone, have begun to provide evidence that, like PROG, it too is neuroprotective, although some of its actions may involve different pathways. Both agents have high safety profiles, act on many different injury and pathological mechanism...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 27, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Cekic M, Sayeed I, Stein DG Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Neuroprotective effects of estrogens following ischemic stroke.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Our laboratory has investigated whether and how 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) protects the brain against neurodegeneration associated with cerebrovascular stroke. We have discovered that low, physiological concentrations of E(2), which are strikingly similar to low-basal circulating levels found in cycling mice, dramatically protect the brain against stroke injury, and consequently revealed multiple signaling pathways and key genes that mediate protective action of E(2). Here we will review the discoveries comprising our current understanding of neuroprotective actions of estrogens against ischemic stroke. These findings may...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 27, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Suzuki S, Brown CM, Wise PM Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Role of protein phosphatases and mitochondria in the neuroprotective effects of estrogens.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In the present treatise, we provide evidence that the neuroprotective and mito-protective effects of estrogens are inexorably linked and involve the ability of estrogens to maintain mitochondrial function during neurotoxic stress. This is achieved by the induction of nuclear and mitochondrial gene expression, the maintenance of protein phosphatases levels in a manner that likely involves modulation of the phosphorylation state of signaling kinases and mitochondrial pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins, and the potent redox/antioxidant activity of estrogens. These estrogen actions are mediated through a combination of estro...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 27, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Simpkins JW, Yi KD, Yang SH Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Neuroprotective actions of sex steroids in Parkinson's disease.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The sex difference in Parkinson's disease, with a higher susceptibility in men, suggests a modulatory effect of sex steroids in the brain. Numerous studies highlight that sex steroids have neuroprotective properties against various brain injuries. This paper reviews the protective effects of sex hormones, particularly estradiol, progesterone and androgens, in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) animal model of Parkinson's disease as compared to methamphetamine toxicity. The molecular mechanisms underlying beneficial actions of sex steroids on the brain have been investigated showing steroid, dose, t...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 27, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Bourque M, Dluzen DE, Di Paolo T Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Protective actions of sex steroid hormones in Alzheimer's disease.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with age-related loss of sex steroid hormones in both women and men. In post-menopausal women, the precipitous depletion of estrogens and progestogens is hypothesized to increase susceptibility to AD pathogenesis, a concept largely supported by epidemiological evidence but refuted by some clinical findings. Experimental evidence suggests that estrogens have numerous neuroprotective actions relevant to prevention of AD, in particular promotion of neuron viability and reduction of beta-amyloid accumulation, a critical factor in the initiation and progression of AD. Recent f...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 27, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Pike CJ, Carroll JC, Rosario ER, Barron AM Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Neuroprotective actions of brain aromatase.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The steroidal regulation of vertebrate neuroanatomy and neurophysiology includes a seemingly unending list of brain areas, cellular structures and behaviors modulated by these hormones. Estrogens, in particular have emerged as potent neuromodulators, exerting a range of effects including neuroprotection and perhaps neural repair. In songbirds and mammals, the brain itself appears to be the site of injury-induced estrogen synthesis via the rapid transcription and translation of aromatase (estrogen synthase) in astroglia. This induction seems to occur regardless of the nature and location of primary brain damage. The ind...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 27, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Saldanha CJ, Duncan KA, Walters BJ Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Social Buffering of the Stress Response: Diversity, Mechanisms, and Functions.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Protracted or repeated activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) system is associated with a variety of physical and psychological pathologies. Studies dating back to the 1970s have documented many cases in which the presence of a social companion can moderate HPA responses to stressors. However, there also are many cases in which this "social buffering" of the HPA axis is not observed. An examination of the literature indicates that the nature of the relationship between individuals is crucial in determining whether or not social buffering of the HPA response will occur. Other factors that affect s...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 18, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Hennessy MB, Kaiser S, Sachser N Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Dynamic limbic networks and social diversity in vertebrates: From neural context to neuromodulatory patterning.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Vertebrate animals exhibit a spectacular diversity of social behaviors, yet a variety of basic social behavior processes are essential to all species. These include social signaling; discrimination of conspecifics and sexual partners; appetitive and consummatory sexual behaviors; aggression and dominance behaviors; and parental behaviors (the latter with rare exceptions). These behaviors are of fundamental importance and are regulated by an evolutionarily conserved, core social behavior network (SBN) of the limbic forebrain and midbrain. The SBN encodes social information in a highly dynamic, distributed manner, such t...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 8, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Goodson JL, Kabelik D Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Neurosteroid biosynthesis: Enzymatic pathways and neuroendocrine regulation by neurotransmitters and neuropeptides.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Neuroactive steroids synthesized in neuronal tissue, referred to as neurosteroids, are implicated in proliferation, differentiation, activity and survival of nerve cells. Neurosteroids are also involved in the control of a number of behavioral, neuroendocrine and metabolic processes such as regulation of food intake, locomotor activity, sexual activity, aggressiveness, anxiety, depression, body temperature and blood pressure. In this article, we summarize the current knowledge regarding the existence, neuroanatomical distribution and biological activity of the enzymes responsible for the biosynthesis of neurosteroids i...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 5, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Do Rego JL, Seong JY, Burel D, Leprince J, Luu-The V, Tsutsui K, Tonon MC, Pelletier G, Vaudry H Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Oxytocin, vasopressin, and human social behavior.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
There is substantial evidence from animal research indicating a key role of the neuropeptides oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the regulation of complex social cognition and behavior. As social interaction permeates the whole of human society, and the fundamental ability to form attachment is indispensable for social relationships, studies are beginning to dissect the roles of OT and AVP in human social behavior. New experimental paradigms and technologies in human research allow a more nuanced investigation of the molecular basis of social behavior. In addition, a better understanding of the neurobiolog...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 5, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Heinrichs M, von Dawans B, Domes G Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Oxytocin and the neural mechanisms regulating social cognition and affiliative behavior.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Oxytocin is produced in the hypothalamus and released into the circulation through the neurohypophyseal system. Peripherally released oxytocin facilitates parturition and milk ejection during nursing. Centrally released oxytocin coordinates the onset of maternal nurturing behavior at parturition and plays a role in mother-infant bonding. More recent studies have revealed a more general role for oxytocin in modulating affiliative behavior in both sexes. Oxytocin regulates alloparental care and pair bonding in female monogamous prairie voles. Social recognition in male and female mice is also modulated by oxytocin. In hu...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - May 27, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Ross HE, Young LJ Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Neuroendocrinology of social information processing in rats and mice.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We reviewed oxytocin (OT), arginine-vasopressin (AVP) and gonadal hormone involvement in various modes of social information processing in mice and rats. Gonadal hormones regulate OT and AVP mediation of social recognition and social learning. Estrogens foster OT-mediated social recognition and the recognition and avoidance of parasitized conspecifics via estrogen receptor (ER) alpha (ERalpha) and ERbeta. Testosterone and its metabolites, including estrogens, regulate social recognition in males predominantly via the AVP V1a receptor. Both OT and AVP are involved in the social transmission of food preferences and ERalp...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - May 11, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Choleris E, Clipperton-Allen AE, Phan A, Kavaliers M Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

The NGF saga: From animal models of psychosocial stress to stress-related psychopathology.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The role of the neurotrophins Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) has been expanding over the last years from trophic factors involved in brain growth and differentiation, to much more complex messengers, involved in psycho-neuro-endocrine adaptations. Much of this research stems from a series of studies inspired by the life-long work of the Nobel laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini. A new field of research started when NGF was found to be released in the bloodstream as a result of psychosocial stressors in male mice. Subsequent studies have shown that, in humans, highly arousing situations...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - May 11, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Cirulli F, Alleva E Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Neurosteroid production in the songbird brain: A re-evaluation of core principles.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Concepts of brain-steroid signaling have traditionally placed emphasis on the gonads and adrenals as the source of steroids, the strict dichotomy of early developmental ("organizational") and mature ("activational") effects, and a relatively slow mechanism of signaling through intranuclear receptors. Continuing research shows that these concepts are not inaccurate, but they are certainly incomplete. In this review, we focus on the song control circuit of songbird species to demonstrate how each of these concepts is limited. We discuss the solid evidence for steroid synthesis within the brain ("neurosteroidogenesis"), t...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - May 11, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: London SE, Remage-Healey L, Schlinger BA Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Testosterone release and social context: When it occurs and why.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We report a study here that suggests transient increases in testosterone after social competition influence future competitive behavior, but social experience alone may also be critical in determining future behavior. In other rodents, a comparable testosterone surge occurs in response to sexual stimulation, but the function is not entirely understood. In addition to competitive and sexual behavior, testosterone impacts other systems instrumental to social behaviors, including paternal behavior and degree of monogamy. Thus, mechanisms regulated by testosterone, such as the vasopressin and aromatase systems, may also be inf...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - May 4, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Gleason ED, Fuxjager MJ, Oyegbile TO, Marler CA Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Who's in charge? Nuclear receptor coactivator and corepressor function in brain and behavior.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Steroid hormones act in brain and throughout the body to regulate a variety of functions, including development, reproduction, stress and behavior. Many of these effects of steroid hormones are mediated by their respective receptors, which are members of the steroid/nuclear receptor superfamily of transcriptional activators. A variety of studies in cell lines reveal that nuclear receptor coregulators are critical in modulating steroid receptor-dependent transcription. Thus, in addition to the availability of the hormone and the expression of its receptor, nuclear receptor coregulators are essential for efficient steroi...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - May 2, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Tetel MJ, Auger AP, Charlier TD Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Neuroendocrinology and sexual differentiation in eusocial mammals.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Sexual differentiation of the mammalian nervous system has been studied intensively for over 25years. Most of what we know, however, comes from work on relatively non-social species in which direct reproduction (i.e., production of offspring) is virtually the only route to reproductive success. In social species, an individual's inclusive fitness may include contributions to the gene pool that are achieved by supporting the reproductive efforts of close relatives; this feature is most evident in eusocial organisms. Here, we review what is known about neuroendocrine mechanisms, sexual differentiation, and effects of soc...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - May 2, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Holmes MM, Goldman BD, Goldman SL, Seney ML, Forger NG Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

The advantage of social living: Brain neuropeptides mediate the beneficial consequences of sex and motherhood.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Living in social groups is clearly beneficial for many species, often resulting in increased survival, enhanced fitness of the group, and progression of brain development and cognitive abilities. The development of the social brain has been promoted on the basis (i) of activation of reward centres by social stimuli, (ii) of positive consequences of close social interactions on emotionality (which is reinforcing by itself) and on general fitness, and (iii) of negative health consequences in the absence or as a result of sudden interruption of social interactions. For example, social interactions as seen between mother a...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - May 2, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Neumann ID Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Membrane estradiol signaling in the brain.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
While the physiology of membrane-initiated estradiol signaling in the nervous system has remained elusive, a great deal of progress has been made toward understanding the activation of cell signaling. Membrane-initiated estradiol signaling activates G proteins and their downstream cascades, but the identity of membrane receptors and the proximal signaling mechanism(s) have been more difficult to elucidate. Mounting evidence suggests that classical intracellular estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) and ERbeta are trafficked to the membrane to mediate estradiol cell signaling. Moreover, an interaction of membrane ERalpha an...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - May 2, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Micevych P, Dominguez R Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Steroids and neuroprotection: New advances.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Gonadal hormones exert neuroprotective actions. In addition, it has become evident that the local synthesis of these molecules in the central nervous system may prevent or reduce neurodegeneration. The neuroprotective actions of steroids involve neurons, glial cells and blood vessels, are exerted via steroid receptor signaling initiated at the nuclear or membrane level and steroid receptor independent mechanisms. They include the regulation of phosphatases and kinases and the regulation of the expression of molecules controlling inflammation and apoptosis. In addition, mitochondria have emerged as new central targets f...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - April 22, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Garcia-Segura LM, Balthazart J Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Evidence that RF-amide related peptides are inhibitors of reproduction in mammals.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion represents the final common pathway in the control of the reproductive axis. Dogma has been that GnRH is solely responsible for the control of gonadotropin secretion, but emerging data presents a strong case for the existence of a gonadotropin inhibitory hormone in mammals. This evidence arose from initial work in avian species to isolate and identify a factor that inhibited gonadotropin release, which is known as gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH). The mammalian ortholog of avian GnIH is named RF-amide related peptide (RFRP). There are two forms of RFRP in mammals, R...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - April 8, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Clarke IJ, Qi Y, Puspita Sari I, Smith JT Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Effects of steroid hormones on neurogenesis in the hippocampus of the adult female rodent during the estrous cycle, pregnancy, lactation and aging.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Adult neurogenesis exists in most mammalian species, including humans, in two main areas: the subventricular zone (new cells migrate to the olfactory bulbs) and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Many factors affect neurogenesis in the hippocampus and the subventricular zone, however the focus of this review will be on factors that affect hippocampal neurogenesis, particularly in females. Sex differences are often seen in levels of hippocampal neurogenesis, and these effects are due in part to differences in circulating levels of steroid hormones such as estradiol, progesterone, and corticosterone during the estrous...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - April 7, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Pawluski JL, Brummelte S, Barha CK, Crozier TM, Galea LA Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Sexual Differences in the Control of Energy Homeostasis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The prevalence of obesity has reached epidemic proportion with enormous costs in both human lives and healthcare dollars spent. Obesity-related metabolic disorders are much lower in premenopausal women than men; however, there is a dramatic increase following menopause in women. The health risks associated with obesity vary depending on the location of adipose tissue. Adipose tissue distributed in the abdominal visceral carry a much greater risk for metabolic disorders than does adipose tissue distributed subcutaneously. There are distinct sex-dependent differences in the regional fat distribution, women carry more fat...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - March 30, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Shi H, Seeley RJ, Clegg DJ Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Hypothalamic Cell Lines to Investigate Neuroendocrine Control Mechanisms.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The hypothalamus is the control centre for most physiological processes; yet has been difficult to study due to the inherent heterogeneity of this brain region. For this reason, researchers have turned towards cell models. Primary hypothalamic cultures are difficult to maintain, are heterogeneous neuronal and glial cell populations and often contain a minimal number of viable peptide-secreting neurons. In contrast, immortalized, clonal cell lines represent an unlimited, homogeneous population of neurons that can be manipulated using a number of elegant molecular techniques. Cell line studies and in vivo experimentation...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - March 30, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Mayer CM, Fick LJ, Gingerich S, D Belsham D Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Early life stress, the development of aggression and neuroendocrine and neurobiological correlates: What can we learn from animal models?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Early life stress (child and adolescent abuse, neglect and trauma) induces robust alterations in emotional and social functioning resulting in enhanced risk for the development of psychopathologies such as mood and aggressive disorders. Here, an overview is given on recent findings in primate and rodent models of early life stress, demonstrating that chronic deprivation of early maternal care as well as chronic deprivation of early physical interactions with peers are profound risk factors for the development of inappropriate aggressive behaviors. Alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA), vasopres...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - March 30, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Veenema AH Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Glucocorticoids and the regulation of emotional memory in health and disease.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Over the last decades considerable evidence has accumulated indicating that glucocorticoids - stress hormones released from the adrenal cortex - are crucially involved in the regulation of emotional memory. Specifically, glucocorticoids have been shown to enhance memory consolidation of emotionally arousing experiences, but impair memory retrieval and working memory during emotionally arousing test situations. Furthermore, growing evidence indicates that these different glucocorticoid effects all depend on emotional arousal-induced activation of noradrenergic transmission within the basolateral complex of the amygdala ...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - March 30, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: de Quervain DJ, Aerni A, Schelling G, Roozendaal B Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Progesterone neuroprotection in traumatic CNS injury and motoneuron degeneration.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Studies on the neuroprotective and promyelinating effects of progesterone in the nervous system are of great interest due to their potential clinical connotations. In peripheral neuropathies, progesterone and reduced derivatives promote remyelination, axonal regeneration and the recovery of function. In traumatic brain injury (TBI), progesterone has the ability to reduce edema and inflammatory cytokines, prevent neuronal loss and improve functional outcomes. Clinical trials have shown that short-and long-term progesterone treatment induces a significant improvement in the level of disability among patients with brain i...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - March 24, 2009 Category: Endocrinology Authors: De Nicola AF, Labombarda F, Deniselle MC, Gonzalez SL, Garay L, Meyer M, Gargiulo G, Guennoun R, Schumacher M Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Neurobiological and neuropsychiatric effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulfate (DHEAS).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
DHEA and DHEAS are steroids synthesized in human adrenals, but their function is unclear. In addition to adrenal synthesis, evidence also indicates that DHEA and DHEAS are synthesized in the brain, further suggesting a role of these hormones in brain function and development. Despite intensifying research into the biology of DHEA and DHEAS, many questions concerning their mechanisms of action and their potential involvement in neuropsychiatric illnesses remain unanswered. We review and distill the preclinical and clinical data on DHEA and DHEAS, focusing on (i) biological actions and putative mechanisms of action, (ii)...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - December 3, 2008 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Maninger N, Wolkowitz OM, Reus VI, Epel ES, Mellon SH Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

What does the "four core genotypes" mouse model tell us about sex differences in the brain and other tissues?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The "four core genotypes" (FCG) model comprises mice in which sex chromosome complement (XX vs. XY) is unrelated to the animal's gonadal sex. The four genotypes are XX gonadal males or females, and XY gonadal males or females. The model allows one to measure (1) the differences in phenotypes caused by sex chromosome complement (XX vs. XY), (2) the differential effects of ovarian and testicular secretions, and (3) the interactive effects of (1) and (2). Thus, the FCG model provides new information regarding the origins of sex differences in phenotype that has not been available from studies that manipulate gonadal hormo...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - November 11, 2008 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Arnold AP, Chen X Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Medial preoptic area interactions with dopamine neural systems in the control of the onset and maintenance of maternal behavior in rats.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The medial preoptic area (MPOA) and dopamine (DA) neural systems interact to regulate maternal behavior in rats. Two DA systems are involved: the mesolimbic DA system and the incerto-hypothalamic DA system. The hormonally primed MPOA regulates the appetitive aspects of maternal behavior by activating mesolimbic DA input to the shell region of the nucleus accumbens (NAs). DA action on MPOA via the incerto-hypothalamic system may interact with steroid and peptide hormone effects so that MPOA output to the mesolimbic DA system is facilitated. Neural oxytocin facilitates the onset of maternal behavior by actions at critica...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - November 5, 2008 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Numan M, Stolzenberg DS Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Interleukin-1 (IL-1): A central regulator of stress responses.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Ample evidence demonstrates that the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1), produced following exposure to immunological and psychological challenges, plays an important role in the neuroendocrine and behavioral stress responses. Specifically, production of brain IL-1 is an important link in stress-induced activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and secretion of glucocorticoids, which mediate the effects of stress on memory functioning and neural plasticity, exerting beneficial effects at low levels and detrimental effects at high levels. Furthermore, IL-1 signaling and the resultant glucocortico...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - November 5, 2008 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Goshen I, Yirmiya R Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Signaling by G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR): Studies on the GnRH receptor.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is the first key hormone of reproduction. GnRH analogs are extensively used in in vitro fertilization, and treatment of sex hormone-dependent cancers, due to their ability to bring about 'chemical castration'. The interaction of GnRH with its cognate type I receptor (GnRHR) in pituitary gonadotropes results in the activation of Gq/G(11), phospholipase Cbeta (PLCbetaI), PLA(2), and PLD. Sequential activation of the phospholipases generates the second messengers inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate (IP(3)), diacylglycerol (DAG), and arachidonic acid (AA), which are required for Ca(2+) mobi...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - August 5, 2008 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Naor Z Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Give food a chance: Treating anorexia nervosa without drugs and psychology.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, is a potentially lethal leading cause of disability in young women, and a biological perspective on this important problem might further our understanding of the physiological control of energy balance. The article by Sodersten, Nergardh, Bergh, Zandian, and Scheurink describes a new treatment for anorexia nervosa with a success rate close to 100%, without prescription drugs or psychotherapy. Like the cause of the disease, this new method of treatment lacks a firm theoretical foundation based on experimental data. The authors' explanation for their success rate, however, is intrig...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 24, 2008 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Schneider JE Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals

Behavioral neuroendocrinology and treatment of anorexia nervosa.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Outcome in anorexia nervosa remains poor and a new way of looking at this condition is therefore needed. To this aim, we review the effects of food restriction and starvation in humans. It is suggested that body weight remains stable and relatively low when the access to food requires a considerable amount of physical activity. In this condition, the human homeostatic phenotype, body fat content is also low and as a consequence, the synthesis and release of brain neurotransmitters are modified. As an example, the role of neuropeptide Y is analyzed in rat models of this state. It is suggested that the normal behavioral ...
Source: Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology - June 14, 2008 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Södersten P, Nergårdh R, Bergh C, Zandian M, Scheurink A Tags: Front Neuroendocrinol Source Type: journals