Hormones and the Social Brain

Authors: B. McEwen Glucocorticoids are well known steroid hormones released from the adrenal glands in response to multiple situations including immune response, metabolism, development, and other behaviors. It was recently found, that glucocorticoids may also play a role in stress related neuronal regulation by specific regulatory factors and cellular interactions. Specifically, the affects glucocorticoids have on neuronal gene-environment interactions. Novel studies have recognized glucocorticoids as co-regulators on dopaminoceptive neurons as well as dopaminergic neurons. Meaning that glucocorticoids are playing a role to regulate the neurons that accept dopamine as a neurotransmitter, and are not just directly affecting neurons that are producing dopamine. In more detail, it was found that glucocorticoids in mice bearing a risk allele for neuropsychiatric disorders increased methylation of gene responsible for tyrosine hydroxylase, reducing the amounts of dopamine in the cell. It was also found that these mice had increasing D2 receptors. However, by blocking the glucocorticoid receptor RU486 the molecular, neurochemical, and behavioral effects were prevented. These findings are relevant to many human psychotic diseases, such as depression and addiction, and get us one step closer to understanding many human psychiatric diseases. ~JI