Numerous diagnostic tests are used to evaluate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis). The gold standard is still considered the insulin tolerance test (ITT), but this test has many limitations. Current guidelines therefore recommend the Synacthen test first when an HPA axis insufficiency is suspected. However, the dose of Synacthen that is diagnostically most accurate and sensitive...

Decision-making impairment is found in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including suicidal behavior, and has been shown to be modulated by genes. On the other hand, early trauma have/has been associated with poor mental health outcome in adulthood, in interaction with genetic factors, possibly through sustained alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis). Here, we aimed...

Socially regulated sex change in teleost fishes is a striking example of social status information regulating biological function in the service of reproductive success. The establishment of social dominance in sex changing species is translated into a cascade of changes in behavior, physiology, neuroendocrine function, and morphology that transforms a female into a male, or vice versa. The hyp...

An intact hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis with effective intracellular glucocorticoid anti-inflammatory activity is essential for host survival following exposure to an infectious agent. Glucocorticoids play a major role in regulating the activity of nuclear factor-kappa- B, which has a crucial and generalized role in inducing cytokine gene transcription after exposure to an invading ...

The hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands are dynamic endocrine organs during fetal development. The adrenal glands, in particular, exhibit remarkable transformation in size, morphology, and function during the prenatal and neonatal periods. 3 It is now recognised that normal development of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis is essential for: (1) the regulation of intrauterine ...

Preclinical and some clinical studies suggest a relationship between perturbation in magnesium (Mg(2+)) homeostasis and pathological anxiety, although the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Since there is evidence that Mg(2+) modulates the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, we tested whether enhanced anxiety-like behaviour can be reliably elicited by dietary Mg(2+) deficiency...

BACKGROUND We previously identified a group of glucocorticoid-responsive genes, including Serum Glucocorticoid kinase 1 (Sgk1), regulated by acute ethanol in prefrontal cortex of DBA2/J mice. Acute ethanol activates the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA) causing release of glucocorticoids. Chronic ethanol dysregulates the HPA response in both humans and rodents, possibly contributing to ...

A network of interconnected cell groups in the limbic forebrain regulates hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation during emotionally stressful experiences, and disruption of these systems is broadly implicated in the onset of psychiatric illnesses. A significant challenge has been to unravel the circuitry and mechanisms providing for regulation of HPA output, as these limbic forebr...