Finch C E
Fed Proc. 1979 Feb;38(2):178-83.
Evidence describing altered neuroendocrine function during aging from this and other laboratories is reviewed, with focus on changes in the brain-pituitary-ovarian-adrenal-hepatic and in the brain-pituitary-ovarian systems. Difficulties in interpreting the discordant data on age-related changes in pituitary function are discussed. Among mechanisms of reproductive aging are changes at both the ovarian and hypothalamic level (including reduced catecholamine levels, turnover, and synaptosomal uptake). However, it cannot yet be concluded that impairments of hypothalamic catecholamine metabolism are the primary cause for the loss of regular cycles. Evidence for dopaminergic impairments in the basal ganglions of humans and rodents during normal aging suggests that these changes may be a general phenomenon of aging. Although the origins of the changes are not yet known, neuronal cell loss in the substantia nigra would not seem to be the only cause.
本文回顾了本实验室及其他实验室关于衰老过程中神经内分泌功能改变的证据，重点关注脑-垂体-卵巢-肾上腺-肝脏系统以及脑-垂体-卵巢系统的变化。文中讨论了解释垂体功能与年龄相关变化的不一致数据时所面临的困难。生殖衰老的机制包括卵巢和下丘脑水平的变化（包括儿茶酚胺水平降低、周转率和突触体摄取减少）。然而，目前尚不能得出下丘脑儿茶酚胺代谢受损是月经周期丧失的主要原因这一结论。正常衰老过程中人类和啮齿动物基底神经节中多巴胺能受损的证据表明，这些变化可能是衰老的普遍现象。尽管变化的起源尚不清楚，但黑质中的神经元细胞丢失似乎不是唯一原因。
