Apoptosis of hypothalamic neurons is believed to play an important role in the development and perpetuation of obesity. Similar to the hippocampus, the hypothalamus presents constitutive and stimulated neurogenesis, suggesting that obesity-associated hypothalamic dysfunction can be repaired. Here, we explored the hypothesis that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) induce hypothalamic neurog...

Stress in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) stimulates proinflammatory mechanisms due to the defect of stress response systems (for example, the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis). Among other mechanisms, the loss of sympathetic nerve fibers in inflamed tissue and inadequate cortisol secretion in relation to inflam...

Rapid-onset obesity, hypothalamic dysfunction, hypoventilation, and autonomic dysregulation (ROHHAD) is a rare disease, but could be fatal if not diagnosed early. It mimics many other diseases and it may take few years after the onset of rapid obesity to have the other clinical features. Therefore, any patient with rapid-onset obesity after the age of 2 years should have high index of suspicion...

Copeptin, a precursor of vasopressin is released when the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) is activated in response to stress. Copeptin secretion from the posterior pituitary gland is in equimolar amounts with arginine vasopressin, hence it reflects arginine vasopressin concentration and can be used as surrogate biomarker of arginine vasopressin secretion. Measurement of copeptin level...

Menopause is a period of significant physiological changes that may be associated with increased body weight and obesity-related diseases. Many researches were conducted to assess the contribution of factors such as estrogen depletion, REE decline, and aging to weight gain. An increase in orexin-A plasma levels, paralleling lower estrogen levels, was found during menopause. Orexins are hypothal...

The aim of this study was to look at basic endocrinological disorders in chronic kidney disease, acquainting endocrinologists with information about the definition and classification of kidney diseases and basic metabolic disorders in uraemia. Secondary hyperparathyroidism, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinism, growth hormone disorders and the possibility of growth hormone treatment, the reas...

Risky families are characterized by conflict and aggression and by relationships that are cold, unsupportive, and neglectful. These family characteristics create vulnerabilities and/or interact with genetically based vulnerabilities in offspring that produce disruptions in psychosocial functioning (specifically emotion processing and social competence), disruptions in stress-responsive biologic...

This review is focused on the hypothesis that hypnosis can differentially modulate T-cell subsets and that this effect is mediated by changes in hypothalamo-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) mediators, such as cortisol. Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems, taking an interdisciplinary approach including psychology, n...

Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) is primarily known as the central regulator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis. However, TRH also exerts a variety of central nervous system effects independent from its activity in the HPT axis. With advancing age, decreases in TRH synthesis, expression, and activity have been demonstrated. Associated with this emerging evidence suggests that T...