Moult Peter R, Harvey Jenni
Neurosciences Institute, Division of Pathology and Neuroscience, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.
Cell Adh Migr. 2008 Oct-Dec;2(4):269-75. doi: 10.4161/cam.2.4.6354. Epub 2008 Oct 28.
The peripheral functions of hormones such as leptin, insulin and estrogens are well documented. An important and rapidly expanding field is demonstrating that as well as their peripheral actions, these hormones play an important role in modulating synaptic function and structure within the CNS. The hippocampus is a major mediator of spatial learning and memory and is also an area highly susceptible to epileptic seizure. As such, the hippocampus has been extensively studied with particular regard to synaptic plasticity, a process thought to be necessary for learning and memory. Modulators of hippocampal function are therefore of particular interest, not only as potential modulators of learning and memory processes, but also with regard to CNS driven diseases such as epilepsy. Hormones traditionally thought of as only having peripheral roles are now increasingly being shown to have an important role in modulating synaptic plasticity and dendritic morphology. Here we review recent findings demonstrating that a number of hormones are capable of modulating both these phenomena.
诸如瘦素、胰岛素和雌激素等激素的外周功能已得到充分证实。一个重要且迅速发展的领域表明，除了其外周作用外，这些激素在调节中枢神经系统内的突触功能和结构方面也发挥着重要作用。海马体是空间学习和记忆的主要调节者，也是一个极易发生癫痫发作的区域。因此，人们对海马体进行了广泛研究，特别是关于突触可塑性，这一过程被认为是学习和记忆所必需的。因此，海马体功能的调节剂特别受关注，不仅因为它们可能是学习和记忆过程的调节剂，还因为它们与癫痫等中枢神经系统驱动的疾病有关。传统上认为仅具有外周作用的激素现在越来越多地被证明在调节突触可塑性和树突形态方面具有重要作用。在此，我们综述了最近的研究结果，这些结果表明多种激素能够调节这两种现象。
