Stress response hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

Heim C, Ehlert U, Rexhausen J, Hanker JP, Hellhammer DH (1998) Abuse-related post-traumatic stress disorder and alterations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in women with chronic pelvic pain. Psychosom Med 60 309-318 Heim C, Ehlert U, Hellhammer DH (2000) The potential role of hypocortisolism in the pathophysiology of stress-related bodily disorders. Psychoneuroendocrinology 25 1 -35 Heim C, Newport DJ, BonsaU R, MiUer AH, Nemeroff CB (2001) Altered pituitary-adrenal axis responses to provocative challenge tests in adult survivors of childhood abuse. Am J Psychiatry 158 575-581... 

The association of cocaine withdrawal with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation has previously been reported and may be important in understanding vulnerability to stress response and relapse (70). The hypothesis that withdrawn cocaine-dependent patients would have higher cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of corticotropin-releasing hormone than healthy controls has been tested in 29 cocaine-dependent men (mean age 40 years) who were abstinent for a minimum of 8 days (mean 29 days) and 66 healthy controls. The subjects were 21 African Americans, two Hispanics, and six Caucasians. There were no significant differences in cerebrospinal... 

Keywords Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone Adre-nocorticotrophic hormone Corticotropin releasing hormone Cytokines Depression Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis Proenkephalin Proopiomelanocortin Schizophrenia Stress response... 

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis A neuroendocrine feedback loop that controls response to stress. 

Psychological stress may influence the immune system by activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary axis (SAM). The well-described innervation of primary and secondary lymphoid tissues by the autonomic nervous system also has been implicated in stress-related modulation of the immune response. These pathways operate by producing biological mediators that interact with and affect cellular components of the immune system.13... 

ACTH adrenocorticotrophic hormone is a peptide hormone released by anterior pituitary cells in response to stressful stimuli that causes the synthesis and release of cortisol (corticosteroid) from the adrenal cortex. It is an important component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. ACTH is released from pro-opiomelanocortin and secreted from corticotropes in response to corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) released by the hypothalamus. 

A link between stress and caimabinoids has also been shown repeatedly. Thus, administration of cannabinoids or anandamide prodnced anxiety-like responses in rats (Rodriguez de Fonseca et al., 1997 Navarro et al., 1997) and mice (Chakrabarti et al., 1998) and activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress hormone axis in rats (Weidenfeld et al., 1994 Rodriguez de Fonseca et al., 19%) and calves (Zenor et al., 1999). We have shown that acute noise stress indnces a fonrfold increase in anandamide levels in the PFC bnt not in the hippocampus of adult mice (Fride and Sanudo-Pena, 2002). Taken together, these stndies snggest that activation of the endocannabinoid-CB, receptor system in the PFC, either by stress or by cannabis use, may trigger symptoms of schizophrenia. 

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