The effects of repeated electroconvulsive seizures (ECS) on expression of mRNAs coding for corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) in neuroendocrine neurons of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis and hypothalamo-neurohypophysial system (HNS) were assessed via semi-quantitative in situ hybridization histochemical analysis. Measures of mRNA content were...

We recently demonstrated that three arcuate nucleus-derived peptides, neuropeptide Y (NPY), agouti-related protein (AGRP), and alphaMSH, are contained in axon terminals that heavily innervate hypophysiotropic TRH neurons in the rat brain and may contribute to the altered set-point of the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis during fasting. To determine whether a similar regulatory system exists i...

The effect of experimental hyperthyroidism, realized by T(4) injection, on central mediators of the hypothalamo-pituitary-interrenal axis (HPI-axis) in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) was studied. Our results show that hyperthyroidism evokes a marked 3.2-fold reduction in basal plasma cortisol levels. Corticotropin-releasing hormone-binding protein (CRH-BP) mRNA levels in the hypothalamus, mea...

BACKGROUND Ethanol exposure during pregnancy is one of the leading causes of preventable birth defects, leading to a range of symptoms collectively known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. More moderate levels of prenatal ethanol exposure lead to a range of behavioural deficits including aggression, poor social interaction, poor cognitive performance and increased likelihood of addiction in la...

The timing of metamorphosis is a central amphibian life history trait and is controlled by the interplay of developmental progression, body size and condition, and environmental signals. These different processes and signals are integrated by the neuroendocrine system to regulate production of hormones by the thyroid gland. Thyroid hormone (TH) is the primary morphogen controlling metamorphosis...

A case of 25-year-old woman with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) was reported. She had short stature, episodic vomiting with headache, several episodes with homonymous hemianopsia, progressive intellectual decline, generalized convulsion, muscular atrophy, sensory disturbance on the left side of the body, and primary amenorrhea. Lactate, pyruvat...

The master circadian clock located within the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is necessary for the circadian rhythm of glucocorticoid (GC) release. The pathways by which the SCN sustains rhythmic GC release remain unclear. We studied the circadian regulation of cortisol release in the behaviorally split golden hamster, in which the single bout of circadian locomotor activity splits i...

BACKGROUND Thyroidectomized patients need variable doses of levothyroxine (LT4) to obtain target thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. Individual feedback set-points have been hypothesized and the influence of several genes in the regulation of the pituitary-thyroid axis has been demonstrated. OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that genetic variants of the TRHR gene could be associated with a dif...

The 5-hydroxytryptamine2C (5-HT)2C receptor is widely implicated in the aetiology of affective and eating disorders as well as regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. Signalling through this receptor is regulated by A-to-I RNA editing, affecting three amino acids in the protein sequence, with unedited transcripts encoding a receptor (INI) that, in vitro, is hyperactive compared wi...

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are potent carcinogens. Among these, dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) is well known for its capacity to induce mammary carcinomas in female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Ovariectomy suppresses the susceptibility of this model to DMBA, thus suggesting that the inducible action of the carcinogen depends on ovarian hormones. The promotion of DMBA-induced adenoca...