Roles for androgens in mediating the sex differences of neuroendocrine and behavioral stress responses.

ABSTRACT: Estradiol and testosterone are powerful steroid hormones that impact brain function in numerous ways. During development, these hormones can act to program the adult brain in a male or female direction. During adulthood, gonadal steroid hormones can activate or inhibit brain regions to modulate adult functions. Sex differences in behavioral and neuroendocrine (i.e., hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis) responses to stress arise as a result of these organizational and activational actions. The sex differences that are present in the HPA and behavioral responses to stress are particularly important considering their role in maintaining homeostasis. Furthermore, dysregulation of these systems can underlie the sex biases in risk for complex, stress-related diseases that are found in huma

SUBMITTER: Zuloaga DG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7388454 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature