Fish make up over half the total number of living vertebrate species and exhibit a level of variation in sexual behavior that is unrivaled among other vertebrates. The early organization (Bass, 1996) and adult reorganization (Grober and Sunobe, 1996; Reavis and Grober, 1999) of neurobiology and behavior generate sexual plasticity in fishes, and these processes can be socially controlled. The ma...

The syndrome of heart failure is still imperfectly understood. It is defined as effort intolerance caused by heart disease, often with a neuroendocrine response that leads to fluid retention and promotes an adverse vicious circle. The cause of this response is generally thought to be a low blood pressure, leading to adrenergic and rennin-angiotensin activation. The result is increased periphera...

The study of sex differences has produced major insights into the organization of animal phenotypes and the regulatory mechanisms generating phenotypic variation from similar genetic templates. Teleost fishes display the greatest diversity of sexual expression among vertebrate animals. This diversity appears to arise from diversity in the timing of sex determination and less functional interdep...

Reproduction consists of various physiological events including fertilization, development of sexual characteristics, social behavior, maturation, and aging. Reproductive functions are ultimately regulated by the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a pivotal hypothalamic neuropeptide that regulates vertebrate reproduction (Schally et al., 1972). I...

This review aims at synthesizing the most relevant information regarding the neuroendocrine circuits controlling reproduction, mainly gonadotropin release, in teleost fish. In teleosts, the pituitary receives a more or less direct innervation by neurons sending projections to the vicinity of the pituitary gonadotrophs. Among the neurotransmitters and neuropeptides released by these nerve ending...

711 While the grass may be greener in the other field, is it better for you or your baby? Hidden risks of environmental pollutants. N. P. Evans*1, M. Bellingham1, C. Cotinot2, S. M. Rhind3, R. Sharpe4, and P. A. Fowler5, 1University of Glasgow, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, Glasgow, UK, 2INRA, UMR 1198 Biologie d...

Mast cells (MC) are hemotopoietically derived tissue immune cells that are ubiquitous in the body, including neuroendocrine organs such as the hypothalamus, pineal, pituitary, ovaries, pancreas and uterus where their action is not well understood. Mast cells have historically been associated with allergies because of their rich content of histamine and tryptase, but more recently with regulatio...