The Neuroendocrinology of Stress: A Never Ending Story

Evolutionary success depends on our ability to adapt to changing circumstances. The neuroendocrine response to stress is an excellent example of a plastic system that responds to threats to homeostasis and alters its output to meet current and expected future demands. At the level of the hypothalamus, the corticotroph secretagogues corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) respond rapidly to an acute stressor but, following chronic stress, they adapt with a reduction of CRH but a major increase in AVP. The release of CRH and AVP activates pro-opiomelanocortin in anterior pituitary corticotroph cells and the release of adrenocorticotrophic hormone into peripheral blood from where it…

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  Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico