Toufexis D
Emory University, Department of Psychiatry, Yerkes National Primate Centre, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
J Neuroendocrinol. 2007 Jun;19(6):461-73. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2826.2007.01552.x.
Recent studies in both animals and humans indicate that gonadal hormones have profound control over emotional states, and certainly contribute to the increased occurrence of psychiatric illness in women. Reports, as reviewed here, suggest that two important regions of the limbic system, the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), control different aspects of emotional behaviour. Short-term cue-specific emotional responses, like Pavlovian fear conditioning, require activation of the CeA, while long-duration and contextual emotional responses, are dependant on the BNST. There is accumulating experimental evidence that gender and sex hormones specifically modulate BNST-mediated anxiety behaviours. Moreover, the functional separation between the CeA and the BNST may be exaggerated during lactation in the rat, a time of profound hormonal and behavioural change. In this study, the effects of sex hormones on fear and anxiety are reviewed with an emphasis on the differential effects of these hormones on functions subserved by the BNST as opposed to the CeA. Studies, as highlighted here, looking at sex hormone and gender effects on the ability of corticotrophin-releasing factor and bright ambient light to enhance startle, emphasise the importance of understanding both the effect of, and brain region where, gonadal hormones exert their control over emotional behaviour.
近期针对动物和人类的研究表明，性腺激素对情绪状态具有深远的控制作用，并且无疑是导致女性精神疾病发病率上升的原因之一。如本文所综述的报告显示，边缘系统的两个重要区域，即杏仁核中央核（CeA）和终纹床核（BNST），控制着情绪行为的不同方面。短期的特定线索情绪反应，如巴甫洛夫式恐惧条件反射，需要激活CeA，而长期和情境性情绪反应则依赖于BNST。越来越多的实验证据表明，性别和性激素会特异性地调节BNST介导的焦虑行为。此外，在大鼠哺乳期，即激素和行为发生深刻变化的时期，CeA和BNST之间的功能分离可能会被放大。在本研究中，我们综述了性激素对恐惧和焦虑的影响，重点关注这些激素对BNST而非CeA所支持功能的不同影响。如本文所强调的研究，考察了性激素和性别对促肾上腺皮质激素释放因子和明亮环境光增强惊吓反应能力的影响，强调了理解性腺激素对情绪行为进行控制的作用及其作用的脑区的重要性。
