Medical College of Wisconsin
CTSICores SearchResearch InformaticsREDCap

Neuronal circuit regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical stress axis. Crit Rev Neurobiol 1996;10(3-4):371-94

Date

01/01/1996

Pubmed ID

8978987

DOI

10.1615/critrevneurobiol.v10.i3-4.50

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0030463572 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   315 Citations

Abstract

The hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis is the primary modulator of the adrenal glucocorticoid stress response. Activation of this axis occurs by way of a discrete set of neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). The PVN neuron appears to be affected by multiple sources, including (1) brainstem aminergic/peptidergic afferents; (2) blood-borne information; (3) indirect input from limbic system-associated regions, including the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala; and (4) local-circuit interactions with the preoptic-hypothalamic continuum. Analysis of the literature suggests that different classes of stressor employ different stress circuits. Severe physiologic ("systemic") stress appears to trigger brainstem/circumventricular organ systems that project directly to the paraventricular nucleus. In contrast, stressors requiring interpretation with respect to previous experience ("processive" stressors) reach the PVN by way of multisynaptic limbic pathways. Limbic regions mediating processive stress responses appear to have bisynaptic connections with the PVN, forming intervening connections with preoptic/hypothalamic GABAergic neurons. Stressors of the latter category may thus require interaction with homeostatic information prior to promoting an HPA response. The HPA stress response thus appears to be a product of both the physiologic importance of the stimulus and the specific pathways a given stimulus excites.

Author List

Herman JP, Prewitt CM, Cullinan WE

Author

William E. Cullinan PhD Adjunct Associate Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone
Animals
Brain
Epinephrine
Glucocorticoids
Humans
Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System
Neurons
Norepinephrine
Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus
Pituitary-Adrenal System
Serotonin
Stress, Physiological
gamma-Aminobutyric Acid