Lec 1

Psychoneuroendocrinology
Cell Communication
Autocrine cell talking to itself. Releases a substance that acts on a
receptor on the cell.
Paracrine acting on cells nearby. This is neurotransmission.
Endocrine signaling through the blood. Cell releases a substance to
the blood stream. The substance can travel throughout the body
through the blood. Dependent on the brain.
Excocrine same thing as endocrine except there is a duct that
releases the substance to the blood. Not dependent on the brain.
Hormone (means I excite) endocrine system uses this to signal.
Neuroendocrine system keeps everything in balance. Its lets the brain
know what the body is doing and vice versa.
Brain and body have to communicate for
1. Gender what gender you are
2. Environment homeostasis. Includes food, thirst, immune
system, light, temperature, social, stress
3. Rhythms theories relate the failure of rhythm to depression
4. Development/ageing growth hormone, puberty
5. Behavior Pathology
History
Hipppocrates took blood out of people. When you let blood sit it
separates. On the bottom is clot (black), then blood cells, then phlegm,
then plasma (yellow). Called these the 4 humors which had to be in
balance. Too much black (depression), red blood (optimistic), phlegm
(sluggish), plasma (irritable)
Eunuchs are castrated males. Causes men to not mature.. Young males
in Italy were castrated and called castrati so they could sing opera.
For women belief was that menstrual cycle got rid of bad toxins. When
they went to menopause leeches were put on there genitals.
Galem 200 wrote a book on physiology?
Descartes was able to see cells in microscope. Found pineal gland.
Saw cells were different in glands. End of humor system.
Early 1800s Arnold Barthold: took roosters and castrated them when
they were chicks. When they grow they never got very big, didnt

display male behavior, and never got secondary chacteristics. Took the
testicles and implanted them in the abdomen. Those roosters got their
secondary characteristics and became normal roosters. Only saw blood
vessels around the testicles. So found out there was something being
released in the blood stream.
Claude Barnard: came up with idea of mileux interior. How your body is
reacting to the environment
1900s Walter Cannon first one to use term flight or fight. Also first to
use homeostasis. Wrote book called Wisdom of the Body. Describes
how your own thoughts can hurt the body.
Hans Selye 1982 Coined the term general adaptation. Homeostasis.
Dorothy Krieger Programming. A developing thing is programmed by
its environment.
Michael Meaney You need to develop just enough stress.

Lec 2
History of Therapy
1800s Charles Sequard theory that testosterone was what made
people young. In favor of abstinence, cutting flow of sperm. Would take
monkey testicles and put them on people.
1950 Premarin promoted to women.. make women nicer after
menopause. Was hormone replacement therapy. Led to a lot of
cancers.
1950s muscle building hormones. Anabolic sterioids.
Anatomy
Thalamus integrates body with the brain
Hypothalamus - integrates brain with the body. Brain influencing the
body. Pituitary under hypothalamus
Hypothalamus
1) Sexually dimorphic looks very different in men and women.
Gender specific
2) Big compared to hypothalamus in other species, the human
hypothalamus is really big. Shows how important brain body
regulation is to humans
3) Nuclei 14 different nuclei. Nuclei is cluster of cells that have
come together cause they have same function or hormone.
4) Plastic nuclei number of cells and content of cells can change.

5) Pathology hypothalamus is rarely a site of cancer. A lot of blood

flow through hypothalamus but very few cardiac damage/strokes
to it. It is a very protected region.
Nuclei
Dorsal (further up), ventral (down)
Anterior (front), posterior (back)
Rostral
Lateral
Hypothalamus around the 3rd ventricle (periventricular). The nuclei
here is called the paraventricular.
Suprachiasmatic nucleus involved in rhythms
Medial region: medial preoptic sexual functions
Lateral is cardiovascular and brainstem
Hypothalamus connections are reciprocal (hypothalamus can tell
amygdala something and vice versa)
Brain imputs
1) Limbic amygdala (fiber track/connection between these is
called stria terminalis. Has its own nucleus called bed nucleus) ,
hippocampus (memories. Feedback to hypothalamus of stress
hormones. Hippocampus site of damage after a lot of stress)
2) Sensory olfactory (direct projections to hypothalamus.
Responsible for pheromones which are hormones release from
one member of species and another member of species can
sense them. McLintock effect women living together have
synchronized menstrual cycles. Vomeronasal region is where
pheromones are sensed, that region is only present in infants.),
light (superchiasmatic eye to hypothalamus.),
touch pain (endorphins) , sexual (oxytocin)
taste can induce you to throw up if you dont like the
taste
auditory sound of a loved ones voice
3) Frontal cortex rational imput, plays a role in anticipatory
functions in hypothalamus.
Body imputs
1) autonomic nervous system imput to brain stem and then brain
stem to hypothalamus. Serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine input
from brain stem to hypothalamus.
2) Blood- borne: blood brain barrier stops a lot of things from
getting into the brain.
Circumventricular organs: regions around BBB where brain
is able to get info of whats in brain
Medial eminence: senses hormones in blood

3) Immune system hypothalamus can sense when there is a

diseases, virus in body.
4) Gut /fat hypothalamus can control things like appetite
Output
1) dual pool in hypothalamus the cells coordinates the brain and
body. The output to the blood stream is through the pituitary.
Oxytocin release from posterior pituitary.
2) Pineal gland hypothalamus has a neuron connection to the
pineal