Neuroendocrinology studies the interaction between the nervous and endocrine systems to treat related diseases and regulate the interaction. The discovery of a connection between the hypothalamus and the anterior pituitary allowed for more targeted drug development. Neuroendocrinology aids medical research in areas such as adipose tissue behavior and disease diagnosis.
Neuroendocrinology involves the study of how the nervous system interacts with the hormone or endocrine system. One goal is to find ways to treat diseases related to this interaction. Another goal is to find ways to better regulate this interaction in humans and other animals.
Before neuroendocrinology developed, the nervous and endocrine systems were viewed as totally separate. The nervous system uses nerves to carry information throughout the body and specifically carries instructions from the brain to the muscles. The endocrine system carries information mainly through the blood system. Use hormones to control activities such as growth, puberty and metabolism.
With the nervous system transmitting instructions almost instantaneously and the endocrine system working through a slow, gradual release of hormones, the two systems have historically been thought to be unrelated. The catalyst for neuroendocrinology to become mainstream was the realization that the way the pituitary gland releases hormones is controlled by the hypothalamus. This meant that there had to be a connection between the nervous system and the endocrine system.
The physical link between the two systems is found between the hypothalamus and the anterior pituitary. The former is a small part of the brain that is part of the nervous system. The latter is a gland located in the lower part of the brain and is part of the endocrine system. The two are connected through a system of blood vessels known as the pituitary portal system.
The most significant finding of neuroendocrinology is that some hormones are produced by the hypothalamus itself rather than originating from glands such as the pituitary. This discovery has allowed scientists to explore different explanations for how the brain regulates activities such as growth. It also meant they could develop more targeted drugs to restore or stimulate the production of these hormones.
There are numerous areas where neuroendocrinology has aided medical research. For example, some scientists believe that the behavior of adipose tissue may not be controlled solely through hormones from the endocrine system. They believe it may also be influenced by signals sent through the hypothalamus. Because people who eat and exercise at increasingly irregular or unconventional times are thought to affect the brain’s sense of rhythm, the hypothalamus may also be producing hormones that affect fat tissue. While this is only one theory, it demonstrates how neuroendocrinology can provide several explanations for how the interaction between the nervous system and hormones affects the body.
Neuroendocrinology has also helped to better diagnose disease variations. For example, a disease known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis involves antibodies that attack the thyroid gland. A variant known as Hashimoto’s encephalopathy involves antibodies that also attack neurons in the brain. The study of neuroendocrinology has made it easier for scientists to distinguish between these two diseases, as well as between Hashimoto’s encephalopathy and other diseases related to neurons.
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