Brain Messengers And The Pituitary

Brain Messengers and the Pituitary discusses the significant advances in neurotransmission and in understanding the physiology and pathophysiology of neuroendocrine control. This book is organized into seven chapters and begins with a discussion on the main biochemical and electrophysiological mechanisms underlying synaptic communication and the cotransmission and receptor plasticity. The following chapters describe the topographical localization and function of classical neurotransmitter and neuropeptide neurons. This book then presents the evidence on pituitary function control by the brain through specific hypophysiotropic regulatory hormones in relation to the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone and pro-opiomelanocortin-derived peptides, growth hormone, gonadotropins, prolactin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone. A chapter focuses on the neuroendocrine effects of an increasing number of neuropeptides. This text further deals with the role of pituitary gland as the target of central nervous system-derived and peripheral hormonal influences. The concluding chapters look into the experimental evidence linking brain neurotransmitters to the secretion of hypothalamic hormones and to anterior pituitary hormones or to neuroendocrine feedback regulation. These chapters also explore the evidence for neurotransmitter-neuropeptide dysfunction as an etiology for specific neuroendocrine disorders and the potential of the neuropharmacologic approach to the diagnosis and therapy. Clinical neuroendocrinologists and researchers and students in neuroendocrinology, neurobiology, neuropharmacology, neurophysiology, and psychiatry will find this book invaluable.

Neurotransmitters and Anterior Pituitary Function discusses research findings on neurotransmitter-neurohormone interactions in the control of the anterior pituitary. This book contains five chapters that specifically tackle the most salient constituents of the neural-endocrine communication system in mammals. This book deals first with the biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacology of proved or putative neurotransmitters, as well as some of the techniques used for determining their synthesis or turnover in the central nervous system (CNS) of experimental animals or in man. These topics are followed by a discussion on the principal functions of the most well-known neurotransmitter containing neurons based on sophisticated techniques for neurotransmitter measurements. A chapter highlights both traditional and a vast series of developed drugs that affect both neurotransmitter and neuroendocrine function. Discussions then shift to the experimental evidence on pituitary function control by the brain through releasing and inhibiting hormones secreted by hypothalamic neuroendocrine cells; the chemical isolation, identification, and synthesis of hypothalamic neurohormones; and concepts of their mechanism of action at the level of the pituitary cells. This text further explores the role of specific brain neurotransmitters in controlling pituitary hormone secretions in both experimental animals and in man and the possible CNS site(s) where neurotransmitters and neurohormones interact for the control of anterior pituitary secretion. The concluding chapter describes the actual or potential application of neuropharmacologic approaches to the diagnosis of and therapy for specific disorders of neuroendocrine function. Clinical neuroendocrinologists and researchers and students in neuroendocrinology, neurobiology, neuropharmacology, neurophysiology, and psychiatry will find this book invaluable.

This book is designed as an introductory text in neuroendocrinology; the study of the interaction between the brain and endocrine system and the influence of this on behaviour. The endocrine glands, pituitary gland and hypothalamus and their interactions and hormones are discussed. The action of steroid and thyroid hormone receptors and the regulation of target cell response to hormones is examined. The function of neuropeptides is discussed with respect to the neuroendocrine system and behaviour. The neuroimmune system and lymphokines are described and the interaction between the neuroendocrine and neuroimmune systems discussed. Finally, methods for studying hormonal influences on behaviour are outlined. Each chapter has review and essay questions designed for advanced students and honours or graduate students with a background in neuroscience, respectively.

The brain ... There is no other part of the human anatomy that is so intriguing. How does it develop and function and why does it sometimes, tragically, degenerate? The answers are complex. In Discovering the Brain, science writer Sandra Ackerman cuts through the complexity to bring this vital topic to the public. The 1990s were declared the "Decade of the Brain" by former President Bush, and the neuroscience community responded with a host of new investigations and conferences. Discovering the Brain is based on the Institute of Medicine conference, Decade of the Brain: Frontiers in Neuroscience and Brain Research. Discovering the Brain is a "field guide" to the brainâ€"an easy-to-read discussion of the brain's physical structure and where functions such as language and music appreciation lie. Ackerman examines: How electrical and chemical signals are conveyed in the brain. The mechanisms by which we see, hear, think, and pay attentionâ€"and how a "gut feeling" actually originates in the brain. Learning and memory retention, including parallels to computer memory and what they might tell us about our own mental capacity. Development of the brain throughout the life span, with a look at the aging brain. Ackerman provides an enlightening chapter on the connection between the brain's physical condition and various mental disorders and notes what progress can realistically be made toward the prevention and treatment of stroke and other ailments. Finally, she explores the potential for major advances during the "Decade of the Brain," with a look at medical imaging techniquesâ€"what various technologies can and cannot tell usâ€"and how the public and private sectors can contribute to continued advances in neuroscience. This highly readable volume will provide the public and policymakersâ€"and many scientists as wellâ€"with a helpful guide to understanding the many discoveries that are sure to be announced throughout the "Decade of the Brain."

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

The somatotropic axis is one of the major hormonal systems regulating postnatal growth in mammals. It interacts with the central nervous system on several levels. Growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) receptors are expressed in many brain areas including the hippocampus, pituitary and hypothalamus. GH and IGF-I are important factors in the development and differentiation of the CNS and have protective properties in dementia, as well as in traumatic and ischaemic injury of the CNS. Also GH has an important impact on mood and well-being with GH secretory capacity being reduced in depression. This volume will include chapters (1) on basic knowledge on GH/IGF-1, (2) on localization of GH/IGF-1 and their receptors in the CNS, including blood brain barrier transport of both hormones, (3) on actions of the two hormones on CNS function (basic science), (4) on clinical aspects of GH/IGF-1 in relation to various CNS functions and disorders, and finally (5) on some future perspectives in this area of science. Contents are well balanced and cover a variety of relevant topics from basic to clinical research International selection of authors, with a good representation of the research on growth hormones A timely publication which will be useful to scientists in both basic and clinical research

This two-volume book provides the first comprehensive survey of opioid research, a field which has accumulated a tremendous amount of literature since the identification of opioid receptors and their endogenous ligands. In more than 60 chapters experts present state-of-the-art reviews of this fascinating field, the topics ranging from molecular biology to clinical applications. Part I covers the multiplicity of opioid receptors, the chemistry of opiates and opioid peptides as well as the neurophysiology of opioids. Part II reviews a broad spectrum of physiological and behavioral functions and pharmacological actions of opioids, together with their neuroendocrinology, opioid tolerance and dependence, concluding with pathophysiological aspects and clinical use.