Abstract
Teasing apart the role of glucocorticoids as mediator or indicator of stress: Recent insights from animal studies
Psychoneuroendocrinology, Vol.160(Supplement)
02/2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106738
Abstract
Animal studies have implicated perturbations in the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in a variety of psychiatric and systemic diseases. The glucocorticoid hormones corticosterone and cortisol are the end-products of HPA activity that promote widespread changes throughout the body to promote adaptation during stress. These hormones may not only serve as a biomarker for an individual’s state of stress, but they may also have widespread effects on neural systems and behavior. However, one major challenge in the field has involved understanding the extent to which alterations in glucocorticoids are cause or consequent to stress-related perturbations in neurobehavioral processes. In this symposium, each speaker will highlight novel perspectives from animal studies on the relationship between changes in adrenocortical activity and neurobehavioral processes during stress and learning. First, Mariana Pais (Radboud University) will present her work on the effect of HPA-axis dysregulation on the strength, generalization and persistence of extinction memory. Next, her studies will explore the underlying changes in fear-regulatory circuits at a neural and molecular level. Jason Radley (University of Iowa) will discuss recent work implicating prefrontal–periaqueductal gray circuitry as a coordinator of responses during active and passive stress coping. His studies will next highlight how activation of these circuits can overcome behavioral immobility and exaggerated glucocorticoid output that are hallmarks of the passive coping response. Work in Jim Herman’s laborastory (University of Cincinnati) will explore sex differences in neuronal glucocorticoid signaling from a neurocircuit perspective. Spatial transcriptomics and rodent conditional knockout models are used to explore cell- and connection-specific mechanisms mediating differential deployment and utilization of glucocorticoid receptors in the male vs. female brain. Finally, research from Marian Joëls (Utrecht University) and coworkers will highlight how stress and corticosteroids affect the relevance of context on memory formation (i.e., contextualization), in humans and rodents. Next, the predictive value of the role of stress on contextualization will be discussed in relation to the vulnerability for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as tested in rodents. Together, these talks will provide a state-of-the-art summary of our current knowledge on the role of glucocorticoids as indicators vis-à-vis mediators of the effects of stress, particularly with regard to understanding their relationship to resilience and susceptibility.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Teasing apart the role of glucocorticoids as mediator or indicator of stress: Recent insights from animal studies
- Creators
- Jason Radley - University of IowaMariana Pais - Radboud University NijmegenJames P. Herman - University of CincinnatiFlor van Maanen - University of CincinnatiMarian Joëls - University Medical Center UtrechtElbert Geuze - University Medical Center UtrechtMilou Sep - University Medical Center Utrecht
- Resource Type
- Abstract
- Publication Details
- Psychoneuroendocrinology, Vol.160(Supplement)
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106738
- ISSN
- 0306-4530
- eISSN
- 1873-3360
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/2024
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984563557902771
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