Role of Brain Noradrenaline in the Effects of Pre- and Early Postnatal Stress on the Adrenocortical Function in Adults

Abstract. Serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate concentrations were measured in 70 patients with prolactinoma and in 54 patients with acromegaly with normal adrenocortical function. Compared with values in normal subjects of corresponding age, serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels were increased in 22 patients with prolactinoma (31%) and in 5 patients with acromegaly (9%). The four acromegalic patients who had elevated serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels had hyperprolactinemia. The mean serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate concentrations in patients with prolactinoma in each decade decreased with advancing age. There was a significant negative correlation between serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate concentrations and ages of the patients with prolactinoma. In all 8 women with prolactinoma as in 6 normal women, serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels declined definitely during the 9 years of follow-up despite persistent hyperprolactinemia. These results indicate that serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels are increased in a substantial number of patients with hyperprolactinemia, however, PRL per se may not play a significant role in the age-related change in serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels.

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Viewing the ventromedial hypothalamus from the adrenal gland

AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpregu.1984.246.1.r1 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 246 (1) ◽

pp. R1-R12 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M. F. Dallman

Keyword(s):

Circadian Rhythm ◽

Insulin Secretion ◽

Food Intake ◽

Adrenal Gland ◽

Ventromedial Hypothalamus ◽

Adrenocortical Function ◽

Suprachiasmatic Nuclei ◽

Inhibit Food Intake ◽

Dose Dependent

The relationships among food intake, insulin secretion, and adrenocortical function are reviewed. It is hypothesized that a major role of structures in, or passing through, the ventromedial hypothalamus is to inhibit food intake, insulin secretion, and adrenocortical function during the day (in the nocturnally active rat) and that this activity is normally driven by elements within the suprachiasmatic nuclei. Lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus of rats result in nonrhythmic food intake, hyperinsulinemia, nonrhythmic adrenocortical function, and obesity. Adrenalectomy prevents or reverses the effects of lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus on food intake, insulin secretion, and obesity, and corticosteroid replacement restores them. Because the actions of corticosteroids are both time- and dose-dependent, it is proposed that the effects of the tonic levels of corticosteroids observed after lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus are to augment the hyperphagia, hyperinsulinemia, and substrate flow into fat to a greater extent than would occur if there were a normal circadian rhythm in adrenocortical function.

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The role of brain noradrenaline in rats during coping with stress

The Japanese Journal of Pharmacology ◽

10.1016/s0021-5198(19)62499-6 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 36 ◽

pp. 146

Author(s):

Akira Tsuda ◽

Masatoshi Tanaka ◽

Yoshishige Ida ◽

Shusaku Tsujimaru ◽

Itsuko Ushijima ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Coping With Stress ◽

Brain Noradrenaline

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Glucocorticoid receptor polymorphism in genetic hypertension

Journal of Molecular Endocrinology ◽

10.1677/jme.0.0210041 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 41-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

CJ Kenyon ◽

M Panarelli ◽

L Zagato ◽

L Torielli ◽

RP Heeley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Glucocorticoid Receptor ◽

Female Rats ◽

Male Rats ◽

Adrenocortical Function ◽

Lower Blood Pressure ◽

Exon 2 ◽

Lower Affinity ◽

Lower Blood

The Milan hypertensive strain of rat (MHS) displays abnormalities in both renal function and adrenocortical activity. While the pressor role of the former has been studied in detail, the role of the latter has not yet been clearly evaluated. In the present study, glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding characteristics in liver cytosol from adult MHS and Milan normotensive controls (MNS) have been investigated. Dexamethasone, aldosterone and corticosterone were bound with lower affinity to cytosol of MHS rats compared with that of MNS rats. This pattern of binding could explain the raised plasma corticosterone concentrations and adrenocortical hypertrophy previously noted in MHS. The coding sequence of MHS and MNS GR genes have been determined. The MHS gene differed in four respects from that of MNS: three silent point mutations and a polymorphic microsatellite region in exon 2. The latter polymorphism has been used in cosegregation studies of F2 hybrids of MHS x MNS. The MHS GR genotype was associated with hypercalciuria and lower blood pressure in female rats and lower body weight in male rats. Although the effect on blood pressure is small, it is consistent with the affinity data. MHS GR genotype cosegregated with lower blood pressure in F2 rats and displayed a lower affinity in binding studies. In conclusion, GR polymorphism may be responsible for differences of adrenocortical function between MHS and MNS. This may lead to a reduction in the blood pressure difference between the two strains.

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