Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology最新文献

{"title":"The medial amygdala’s neural circuitry: Insights into social processing and sex differences","authors":"Benavides Ignacio ,&nbsp;Janina Baeza ,&nbsp;Bastián Ruiz ,&nbsp;Juan Pablo Romero ,&nbsp;Paulina Yañez ,&nbsp;Camila Ramírez ,&nbsp;Teresa Caprile ,&nbsp;Carlos Farkas ,&nbsp;Antonia Recabal-Beyer","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101190","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101190","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The amygdala, a critical part of the limbic system, is essential for processing social stimuli and regulating stress responses. Among its various neuronal nuclei, the medial amygdala (MeA) remains one of the least studied in humans. The MeA plays a key role in receiving inputs from the olfactory system through pheromones, as well as from crucial areas such as the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and reward system. This allows the MeA to integrate external stimuli with the organism’s internal state, finetuning social interactions, endocrine responses, and innate behaviors. Recent advances in neuroscience have highlighted the sex differences of the MeA and how they influence behavior and environmental perception. Understanding these sexspecific variations in brain structures, like the MeA in rodents, is vital for applying this knowledge to humans and could help bridge gaps in our understanding and treatment of mental health disorders, which often differ between sexes in both prevalence and presentation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 101190"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143891019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Physical activity in Alzheimer’s disease prevention: Sex differences and the roles of BDNF and irisin","authors":"F.G.Q. Barros-Aragão ,&nbsp;E. Januszkiewicz ,&nbsp;T. Hunter ,&nbsp;N. de M. Lyra e Silva ,&nbsp;F.G. De Felice","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101189","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101189","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Alzheimer’s disease (AD) disproportionately affects women, with postmenopausal hormonal changes contributing to elevated risk. Physical exercise is a promising, non-pharmacological strategy to mitigate cognitive decline and AD progression. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and irisin are key molecular mediators of exercise-induced brain health and protection against AD pathology by promoting synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis, and reducing amyloidosis, tau pathology, and neuroinflammation in sex-specific mechanisms. This review explores sex and gender influences on exercise outcomes and their interaction with FNDC5/irisin and BDNF signaling pathways in the context of AD prevention. We highlight emerging evidence on the interplay between exercise, sex, and neuroprotective pathways, emphasizing the need for sex-sensitive research designs to advance precision approaches for AD prevention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 101189"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143833680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): Likelihood of cooccurring neuropsychiatric conditions and the dual hit hypothesis","authors":"Juan Pablo Del Río ,&nbsp;Alexandros Tsompanidis ,&nbsp;Pablo A. Gaspar ,&nbsp;Alejandro Maturana-Hurtado ,&nbsp;Gonzalo M. Rojas-Costa ,&nbsp;Alexies Dagnino-Subiabre ,&nbsp;Arabia Olea ,&nbsp;Manuel Maliqueo ,&nbsp;Bárbara Echiburú ,&nbsp;Amanda Ladrón de Guevara ,&nbsp;Juan F. Montiel ,&nbsp;Simon Baron-Cohen ,&nbsp;Nicolás Crisosto","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101188","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101188","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine-metabolic disorder in women of reproductive age. Hyperandrogenism has been proposed as its main pathophysiological feature. PCOS is associated with co-occurring conditions, including psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, and neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism. Exposure to hyperandrogenism during prenatal life and adolescence may explain this association. PCOS women exhibit hyperandrogenism during pregnancy, and up to 70% of their daughters will present a similar phenotype from puberty onwards. The ’dual hit hypothesis’ proposes that stressors during prenatal life and adolescence can synergistically lead to co-occurring conditions in adulthood. PCOS has been recently proposed as an independent likelihood factor for the development of neuropsychiatric conditions. However, the specific mechanisms require further research to develop effective interventions. This review discusses how hyperandrogenism can affect neurodevelopment during two key periods of brain development, which may explain the long-term impact of PCOS on mental health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 101188"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143691604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cortisol in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A comprehensive meta-analysis","authors":"Lydia Kogler ,&nbsp;Rui Wang ,&nbsp;Teresa Luther ,&nbsp;Alex Hofer ,&nbsp;Beatrice Frajo-Apor ,&nbsp;Birgit Derntl","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101186","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101186","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) are characterized by alterations in cortisol levels across various parameters, including stress reactivity, hair cortisol, and baseline levels, which may be influenced by antipsychotic treatment. To provide a comprehensive overview of cortisol dysregulation in SSD, we conducted meta-analyses assessing (1) the effects of antipsychotic treatment in SSD patients, and additionally comparing cortisol in SSD patients versus healthy controls (HC) (2) following stress induction (metabolic, physiological, psychological stressors), (3) in hair and (4) baseline levels. Systematic literature searches in PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycINFO (November 2024) identified 121 studies (9049 SSD patients) for inclusion. Meta-analytic results revealed that antipsychotic treatment significantly reduced cortisol levels in SSD (<em>k</em> = 16, g = -0.480, 95 % CI [-0.818, −0.142], <em>p</em> = 0.005). Additionally, compared to HC, SSD was associated with reduced cortisol suppression following dexamethasone exposure (<em>k</em> = 9, <em>g</em> = 0.299, 95 % CI [0.091, 0.507], <em>p</em> = 0.005) and with elevated baseline cortisol levels in the morning (<em>k</em> = 71, <em>g</em> = 0.38, 95 % CI [0.210, 0.546], <em>p</em> &lt; 0.001) and evening (<em>k</em> = 11, g = 0.368, 95 % CI [0.076, 0.661], <em>p</em> = 0.014). However, there were no significant group differences in afternoon baseline cortisol, hair cortisol or cortisol reactivity to stress (p &gt; 0.05). These findings offer a detailed understanding of cortisol alterations in SSD and improve our understanding of HPA axis dysregulation in SSD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 101186"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143471437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Maternal brain plasticity, physiology and exercise science: A scoping narrative review","authors":"Catherine M.E. Barrett ,&nbsp;Zohreh Zeidy ,&nbsp;Alison Farrell ,&nbsp;Lindsay S. Cahill ,&nbsp;Katie P. Wadden","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101185","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101185","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>The perinatal period is characterized by extreme shifts in hormones, neurochemistry, and life experiences that drive significant changes in the brain, known as maternal plasticity. Due to rising maternal health conditions, such as postpartum depression, there is a critical need to investigate factors, such as engagement in physical activity and exercise, that may mitigate susceptibility to maladaptive maternal plasticity. This scoping review aims to analyze exercise interventions and maternal brain outcomes during reproduction.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A systematic search was completed in Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SportDiscuss. The key concepts of the search were (i) brain plasticity, (ii) maternal reproductive period including pre-conception, pregnancy, and postpartum, and (iii) exercise interventions. Due to the limited amount of evidence available on this topic, the review findings were discussed using a combined scoping and narrative review approach.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The search produced 2,167 unique articles after removing 2588 duplicates. Covidence software was used for the screening procedure. Following title and abstract screening, 2160 articles were deemed irrelevant and removed. Seven articles moved forward to full-text screening. One article was excluded during full-text screening for wrong outcomes, leaving six papers for extraction. Extraction revealed that four out of six studies were conducted in the rodent alone, one was conducted in humans alone and one was conducted in both a human and a rodent model.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>The methodological inconsistencies in the limited number of studies within this field highlight the need for standardization, which motivated the development of the Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template for animal research. Moreover, the present review highlights future directions and knowledge gaps, emphasizing the critical need for high-quality research to address the many unanswered questions regarding the impact of exercise on the maternal brain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 101185"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143444487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the effects of an insulin challenge on neuroimaging outcomes: A scoping review","authors":"Nicolette Stogios ,&nbsp;Sally Wu ,&nbsp;Margaret Hahn ,&nbsp;Zahra Emami ,&nbsp;Janani Navagnanavel ,&nbsp;Vittal Korann ,&nbsp;Akash PrasannaKumar ,&nbsp;Gary Remington ,&nbsp;Ariel Graff-Guerrero ,&nbsp;Sri Mahavir Agarwal","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101187","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101187","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Emerging evidence demonstrates that insulin has a modulating effect on metabolic and cognitive function in the brain, highlighting the potential role of aberrant brain insulin signaling in the pathogenesis of various neuropsychiatric illnesses. Neuroimaging paradigms using intranasal insulin (INI) as a pharmacological challenge have allowed us to study the effects of insulin in the human brain. In this scoping review, we conducted a systematic database search to identify relevant research studies that employed an INI-based neuroimaging assay of brain insulin signaling. Thirty-six studies met inclusion criteria for this review. INI was found to significantly modulate activity and cerebral blood flow in brain regions related to homeostatic/hedonic control of food intake, as well as cognition. This review highlights the putative role of insulin signaling in the brain and the potential therapeutic value of INI in patients with mental health, addiction, and co-morbid metabolic disorders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 101187"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143444488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sex/gender differences in the clinical trajectory of Alzheimer’s disease: Insights into diagnosis and cognitive reserve","authors":"Sheina Emrani ,&nbsp;Erin E. Sundermann","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101184","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101184","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The two-times higher prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in females versus males is well-known; however, there are also sex/gender differences in clinical presentation and diagnostic accuracy that are less examined but equally important to understand in terms of improving early detection, intervention and disease tracking in each sex/gender. This review explores how these disparities in clinical presentation manifest across the AD continuum, with a focus on the earlier stages of preclinical AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We summarize evidence indicating that female’s verbal memory advantage may mask early cognitive decline, leading to delayed MCI diagnosis and limiting opportunities for early intervention. Conversely, females demonstrate steeper cognitive decline at later disease stages compared to males. These patterns align with the cognitive reserve theory, suggesting female’s verbal memory strength may act as a domain-specific resilience factor. Lastly, this review emphasizes the need for sex-sensitive diagnostic tools to improve early detection accuracy and equity in clinical practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 101184"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143394817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A review of the effects of different types of social behaviors on the recruitment of neuropeptides and neurotransmitters in the nucleus accumbens","authors":"Johnathan M. Borland","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101175","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2025.101175","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is a lack of understanding of the neural mechanisms regulating the rewarding effects of social interactions. A significant contributor to this lack of clarity is the diversity of social behaviors and animal models utilized to investigate mechanisms. Other sources of the lack of clarity are the diversity of brain regions that can regulate social reward and the diversity of signaling pathways that regulate reward. To provide some clarity into the mechanisms of social reward, this review focused on the brain region most implicated in reward for multiple stimuli, the nucleus accumbens, and surveyed (systematically reviewed) studies that investigated the relationship between social interaction and five signaling systems implicated in the regulation of reward and social behavior: oxytocin, vasopressin, serotonin, opioids and endocannabinoids. Moreover, all of these studies were organized by the type of social behavior studied: affiliative interactions, play behavior, aggression, social defeat, sex behavior, pair-bonding, parental behavior and social isolation. From this survey and organization, this review concludes that oxytocin, endocannabinoids and mu-opioid receptors in the nucleus accumbens positively regulate the rewarding social behaviors, and kappa-opioid receptors negatively regulate the rewarding social behaviors. The opposite profile is observed for these signaling systems for the aversive social behaviors. More studies are needed to investigate the directional role of the serotonin system in the nucleus accumbens in the regulation of many types of social behaviors, and vasopressin likely does not act in the nucleus accumbens in the regulation of the valence of social behaviors. Many of these different signaling systems are also interdependent of one another in the regulation of different types of social behaviors. Finally, the interaction of these signaling systems with dopamine in the nucleus accumbens is briefly discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 101175"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143074382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Revisiting the role of sexual hormones in the demyelinated central nervous system","authors":"Elisabeth Traiffort,&nbsp;Abdelmoumen Kassoussi,&nbsp;Amina Zahaf","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2024.101172","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2024.101172","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sex-related differences characterize multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune, inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease displaying higher incidence in females as well as discrepancies in susceptibility and progression. Besides clinical specificities, molecular and cellular differences related to sex hormones were progressively uncovered improving our understanding of the mechanisms involved in this disabling disease. The most recent findings may give rise to the identification of novel therapeutic perspectives that could meet the urgent need for a treatment preventing the transition from the recurrent- to the progressive form of the disease. The present review is an update of our current knowledge about progestagens, androgens and estrogens in the context of CNS demyelination including their synthesis, the impact of their dysregulation, the preclinical and clinical data presently available, the main molecular dimorphisms related to these hormones and their age-related changes and relationship with failure of spontaneous remyelination, likely impacting the inexorable progression of multiple sclerosis towards irreversible disabilities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101172"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142853759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Neurosteroid replacement approaches for improving outcomes after compromised pregnancies and preterm birth","authors":"Jonathan J. Hirst ,&nbsp;Hannah K. Palliser ,&nbsp;Carlton Pavy ,&nbsp;Julia C Shaw ,&nbsp;Roisin A. Moloney","doi":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2024.101169","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.yfrne.2024.101169","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The levels of the key neurosteroid of pregnancy, allopregnanolone, are very high in the fetal and maternal brain compared to after birth. These levels are maintained by the placenta which forms a placental connection to fetal brain development. Maternal stresses depress placental synthesis resulting in a fall in allopregnanolone levels leading to deficits in myelination that continue into childhood. This contributes to an increased incidence of behavioural disorders. Supplementing neurosteroid action with allopregnanolone analogues or raising endogenous production with mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO) ligands reverses these deficits. Preterm birth leads to an early dramatic loss of neurosteroid support for brain development leading to marked deficits in myelination and susceptibility to hypoxic-ischaemic injury. Postnatal treatment with the allopregnanolone analogue ganaxolone improves myelination and reduces hyperactive behaviour. TSPO ligands such as emapunil have been shown to improve oligodendrocyte maturation. These findings support the use of allopregnanolone supplementation approaches after pregnancy compromises to improve outcome.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12469,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101169"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142767785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}