BACKGROUND Dysfunction of central and skin Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis play important roles in pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD). Our previous studies showed that several Chinese herbs could improve HPA axis function. In this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of BuShenYiQi granule (BSYQ), a Chinese herbs formula, in AD mice and explored the effective mechanism...

An organism's reproductive fitness is sensitive to the environment, integrating cues of resource availability, ecological factors, and hazards within its habitat. Events that challenge the environment of an organism activate the central stress response system, which is primarily mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The regulatory functions of the HPA axis govern the cardio...

Glucocorticoid hormones are released after activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and in the brain can modulate synaptic plasticity and memory formation. Clear individual differences in spatial learning and memory in the water maze allowed classification of groups of young (3 months) and aged (24 months) male Wistar rats as superior and inferior learners. We tested 1) wheth...

Over the past 60 years, there has been an exponential expansion in the field of neuroendocrinology. The HPA Axis (Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal Axis) is affected by both internal physiological stressors (cytokines, hypoxia, macromolecules etc) and by external stressors (source of anxiety, fear etc.) which threaten the organisms homeostasis. Cortisol binds to cortisol receptors throughout the b...

The influences of age (4 to 12 wk), sexual maturity status, and sex on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responsiveness were investigated by measuring changes in peripheral basal levels of corticosterone (B) and responses to 10 min of physical restraint in a crush cage or injection of 1-24 adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in 2 genotypes of Japanese quail divergently selected for long ...

The role of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in regulating the growth of Mycobacterium avium in Mycobacterium bovis BCG-resistant and -susceptible congenic mice was evaluated. Restraint was used to activate the HPA axis, which resulted in an increase in the level of corticosterone in the plasma. Activation of the HPA axis increased the susceptibility of BALB/c.Bcgs mice to the grow...

The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the major neuroendocrine stress response system. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neurons in the parvocellular paraventricular nucleus (pPVN) play a key role in coordinating responses of this system to stressors. The cytokine interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), mimicking infection, robustly activates these CRH neurons via a noradrenergic input ari...

Salivary cortisol sampling has confirmed the presence of increased cortisol secretion in depression and has also revealed that some aspects of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis disturbance have trait-like characteristics that may predict the risk of future illness. Persistent hypersecretion of cortisol in individuals vulnerable to depression also has implications for the medical co-morbi...

www.expert-reviews.com ISSN 1744-6651 © 2011 Expert Reviews Ltd 10.1586/EEM.10.79 Alterations in hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis function, such as hypercortisolism and reduced feedback sensitivity, have been a prominent finding in neuroendocrine investigations of major depressive disorder (MDD). Cognitive impairments, particularly those concerning attention, memory and executive funct...