Romeo Russell D, McEwen Bruce S
Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University, Box 165, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2006 Dec;1094:202-14. doi: 10.1196/annals.1376.022.
During adolescence the brain shows remarkable changes in both structure and function. The plasticity exhibited by the brain during this pubertal period may make individuals more vulnerable to perturbations, such as stress. Although much is known about how exposure to stress and stress hormones during perinatal development and adulthood affect the structure and function of the brain, relatively little is known about how the pubertal brain responds to stress. Furthermore, it is not clear whether stressors experienced during adolescence lead to altered physiological and behavioral potentials in adulthood, as has been shown for perinatal development. The purpose of this review is to present what is currently known about the pubertal maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the neuroendocrine axis that mediates the stress response, and discuss what is currently known about how stressors affect the adolescent brain. Our dearth of knowledge regarding the effects of stress on the pubertal brain will be discussed in the context of our accumulating knowledge regarding stress-induced neuronal remodeling in the adult. Finally, as the adolescent brain is capable of such profound plasticity during this developmental stage, we will also explore the possibility of adolescence as a period of interventions and opportunities to mitigate negative consequences from earlier developmental insults.
在青春期，大脑在结构和功能上都表现出显著变化。大脑在这个青春期所展现出的可塑性可能会使个体更容易受到诸如压力等干扰因素的影响。尽管我们对围产期发育和成年期接触压力及压力激素如何影响大脑的结构和功能已经了解很多，但对于青春期大脑如何应对压力却知之甚少。此外，目前尚不清楚青春期经历的应激源是否会像围产期发育那样导致成年期生理和行为潜能的改变。这篇综述的目的是介绍目前已知的下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺（HPA）轴的青春期成熟情况，该神经内分泌轴介导应激反应，并讨论目前已知的应激源如何影响青少年大脑。我们将在积累的关于应激诱导成年期神经元重塑的知识背景下，讨论我们对压力对青春期大脑影响的认识不足。最后，鉴于青春期大脑在这个发育阶段具有如此深刻的可塑性，我们还将探讨青春期作为一个进行干预和创造机会以减轻早期发育损伤负面影响的时期的可能性。
