Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, United States.
Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ, United States.
Handb Clin Neurol. 2020;175:167-176. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-64123-6.00012-6.
The central noradrenergic system comprises multiple brainstem nuclei whose cells synthesize and release the catecholamine transmitter norepinephrine (NE). The largest of these nuclei is the pontine locus coeruleus (LC), which innervates the vast majority of the forebrain. NE interacts with a number of pre- and postsynaptically expressed G protein-coupled receptors to affect a wide array of functions, including sensory signal processing, waking and arousal, stress responsiveness, mood, attention, and memory. Given the myriad functions ascribed to the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic (LC-NE) system, it is unsurprising that it is implicated in many disease states, including various mood, cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative diseases. The LC-NE system is also notably sexually dimorphic with regard to its morphologic and anatomical features as well as how it responds to the peptide transmitter corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), a major mediator of the central stress response. The sex-biased morphology and signaling that is observed in the LC could then be considered a potential contributor to the differential prevalence of various diseases between men and women. This chapter summarizes the primary differences between the male and female LC, based primarily on preclinical observations and how these disparities may relate to differential diagnoses of several diseases between men and women.
中枢去甲肾上腺素能系统包括多个脑桥核，其细胞合成并释放儿茶酚胺递质去甲肾上腺素（NE）。这些核中最大的是脑桥蓝斑核（LC），它支配着绝大多数的前脑。NE 与许多突触前和突触后表达的 G 蛋白偶联受体相互作用，影响广泛的功能，包括感觉信号处理、觉醒和警觉、应激反应、情绪、注意力和记忆。鉴于蓝斑-去甲肾上腺素（LC-NE）系统被赋予的众多功能，它与许多疾病状态有关并不奇怪，包括各种情绪、认知、神经精神和神经退行性疾病。LC-NE 系统在形态和解剖特征以及对肽递质促肾上腺皮质释放激素（CRH）的反应方面也表现出明显的性别二态性，CRH 是中枢应激反应的主要介质。LC 中观察到的性别偏倚的形态和信号传递可以被认为是导致男女之间各种疾病患病率差异的潜在因素。本章主要基于临床前观察，总结了男女 LC 的主要差异，以及这些差异如何与男女几种疾病的不同诊断相关。
