McEwen B S, Gould E A, Sakai R R
Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021.
Br J Psychiatry Suppl. 1992 Feb(15):18-23.
The pituitary-adrenal axis participates in the diurnal response of the organism to the environment and in its response to stress. Circulating glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid hormones act on cells in the brain via Type I and Type II receptors, which operate at the level of gene regulation, and mediate various feedback effects of adrenal steroids on brain chemistry and structure, including the operation of second-messenger generating systems, levels of structural proteins of glial cells, and the death and survival of neurons. The hippocampus is prominent in these effects, and it also displays the highest level of Type I receptors of any brain region. New concepts point to a special role of the hippocampus, a nexus of cognition and emotion, in the feedback actions of adrenal steroids during the diurnal rhythm, and in response to stress. The hippocampus is, therefore, a prime target area for investigation of the events which accompany stress, and which may be related to the maladaptive state that results in depressive illness. Initial studies are described which investigate the effects of tianeptine on pituitary-adrenal function, hippocampal morphology and Type I and Type II receptor levels.
垂体 - 肾上腺轴参与机体对环境的昼夜反应及其对应激的反应。循环中的糖皮质激素和盐皮质激素通过I型和II型受体作用于脑细胞，这些受体在基因调控水平发挥作用，并介导肾上腺类固醇对脑化学和结构的各种反馈作用，包括第二信使生成系统的运作、胶质细胞结构蛋白的水平以及神经元的死亡和存活。海马体在这些作用中很突出，并且它在所有脑区中I型受体水平最高。新的概念指出，作为认知与情感纽带的海马体，在昼夜节律期间肾上腺类固醇的反馈作用以及对应激的反应中具有特殊作用。因此，海马体是研究伴随应激且可能与导致抑郁症的适应不良状态相关事件的主要目标区域。本文描述了初步研究，这些研究调查了噻奈普汀对垂体 - 肾上腺功能、海马体形态以及I型和II型受体水平的影响。
