Hypothalamic orexin's role in exacerbated cutaneous vasodilation responses to an anxiogenic stimulus in a surgical menopause model.

ABSTRACT: Distressing symptoms such as hot flashes and sleep disturbances affect over 70% of women approaching menopause for an average of 4-7 years, and recent large cohort studies have shown that anxiety and stress are strongly associated with more severe and persistent hot flashes and can induce hot flashes. Although high estrogen doses alleviate symptoms, extended use increases health risks, and current non-hormonal therapies are marginally better than placebo. The lack of effective non-hormonal treatments is largely due to the limited understanding of the mechanisms that underlie menopausal symptoms. One mechanistic pathway that has not been explored is the wake-promoting orexin neuropeptide system. Orexin is exclusively synthesized in the estrogen receptor rich perifornical hypothalamic region

SUBMITTER: Federici LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4752911 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature