Brain stress

A state of chronic deviation of a regulatory system from its normal (homeostatic) operating level is defined as an allostatic state. In the context of drug addiction this term has been introduced by George Koob and Michel Le Moal and represents a chronic deviation of reward set point by dysregulation of reward circuits and brain stress systems that provide a negative motivational state that drives addictive behavior. 

Steroid Hormones and Neurosteroids. Steroids (qv) can affect neuroendocrine function, stress responses, and behavioral sexual dimorphism (78,79) (see Steroids). Mineralocorticoid, glucocorticoid, androgen, estrogen, and progesterone receptors are localized in the brain and spinal cord. In addition to genomic actions, the neurosteroid can act more acutely to modulate the actions of other receptors or ion channels (80). Pregnenolone [145-13-17, ( ) dehydroepiandosterone [53-43-0] C H2 02 (319) are excitatory neurosteroids found in rat brain, independent of adrenal... 

We should stress that the temperature T has nothing to do with the real temperature of either a brain or neural circuit. Its sole purpose is to act as a control parameter regulating the amount of noise in the stochastic system. 

The primary fate of acetyl CoA under normal metabolic conditions is degradation in the citric acid cycle to yield C02. When the body is stressed by prolonged starvation, however, acetyl CoA is converted into compounds called ketone bodies, which can be used by the brain as a temporary fuel. Fill in the missing information indicated by the four question marks in the following biochemical pathway for the synthesis of ketone bodies from acetyl CoA ... 

CRH (Corticotropin releasing hormone) is expressed in the nucleus paraventricularis of the hypothalamus and drives the stress hormone system by activating synthesis and release of corticotropin at the pituitary and in turn corticosteroid from the adrenal cortex. CRH is also expressed at many other brain locations not involved in neuroendocrine regulation, e.g. the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. Preclinical studies have shown that CRH also coordinates the behavioral adaptation to stress (e.g. anxiety, loss of appetite, decreased sleepiness, autonomic changes, loss of libido). 

According to the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Opioid Receptois it was proposed to term ORL-1 recqrtor as NOP receptor [1]. The human NOP receptor gene encodes a protein of370 amino acids. Splice valiants have been found in the human and mouse NOP recqrtor with no known functional significance. NOP receptors are widely distributed throughout the brain and in the spinal cord. They are also present in immune cells. A functional role for N/OFQ has been proposed in nociception, locomotoric activity, reward, stress, and immunomodulation. 

It is most unlikely that the sole functions of mysoin-Il in nonmuscle cells are to provide the contractile force to bisect cells during cytokinesis and for the contractility of stress fibers. Myosin-II is present in a variety of cell types at moderate concentrations in tissues such as brain, which are almost totally non-mitotic and do... 

Vass, K., Welch, W.J., Nowak, T.S.J. (1988). Localization of 70 kD stress protein induction in gerbil brain after ischemia. Acta Neuropath. (Berl.) 77, 128-135. 

Takahashi, H, Takada, Y, Nagai, N, Urano, T and Takada, A (1998) Extracellular serotonin in the striatum is increased after immobilisation stress only in the nighttime. Behav. Brain Res. 91 185-201. 

Purdy, RH, Morrow, AL, Moore, PHJ and Paul, SM (1991) Stress-induced elevations of a amino butyric acid type A receptor-active steroids in the rat brain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88 4553 557. 

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