Age-related changes of the adrenal secretory pattern: possible role in pathological brain aging

Ferrari, Ettore; Casarotti, Daniela; Muzzoni, B.; Albertelli, N.; Cravello, Luca; Fioravanti, Marisa; Solerte, Sebastiano Bruno; Magri, Flavia

doi:10.1016/s0165-0173(01)00133-3

Cited by 84 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Production of cortisol remains reasonably constant with age, whereas levels of DHEA and DHEAS decrease gradually from the third decade, reaching levels that are only 10-20% of their maximum by the eighth decade (Ferrari et al, 2001). The elderly thus gradually approach a status of relative glucocorticoid excess with age, with potential for a negative impact upon baseline immune function and an exaggerated response to stressors.…”

Section: Effect Of Age On Adrenal Hormones and Immune Functionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Stress responses and innate immunity: aging as a contributory factor

2004

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SummaryEvolutionary pressure has selected individuals with traits that allow them to survive to reproduction, without consideration of the consequences for the post-child rearing years and old age. In the 21st century, society is populated increasingly by the elderly and with the falling birth rate and improved health care this trend is set to continue for the foreseeable future. To minimize the potential burden on health services one would hope that 'growing old gracefully' should also mean 'growing old healthily'. However, for too many the aging process is accompanied by increasing physical and mental frailty producing an elevated risk of physical and psychological stress in old age. Stress is a potent modulator of immune function, which in youth can be compensated for by the presence of an optimal immune response. In the elderly the immune response is blunted as a result of the decline in several components of the immune system (immune senescence) and a shifting to a chronic pro-inflammatory status (the so-called 'inflammaging' effect). We discuss here what is known of the effects of both stress and aging upon the innate immune system, focusing in particular upon the age-related alterations in the hypopituitary-adrenal axis. We propose a double hit model for age and stress in which the age-related increase in the cortisol/sulphated dehydroepiandrosterone ratio synergizes with elevated cortisol during stress to reduce immunity in the elderly significantly.

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Section: Effect Of Age On Adrenal Hormones and Immune Functionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Stress responses and innate immunity: aging as a contributory factor

2004

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“…Inasmuch as the hippocampus is a major site of neurodegenerative pathology in Alzheimer's disease (Mattson, 2004;Mattson and Magnus, 2006), it is reasonable to consider that the damage to this brain region contributes to the perturbed regulation of neuroendocrine systems in this disease. Examples of hormones that are normally released in a pulsatile manner, but are released in a dysregulated manner in Alzheimer's disease include cortisol (Ferrari et al, 2001), vasopressin (Liu et al, 2000) and melatonin (Skene and Swaab, 2003). When taken together with the data from animal studies described below, the correlation of hippocampal pathology with dysregulated neuroendocrine pulsatility in Alzheimer's disease is consistent with a prominent role for the hippocampus in control of neuroendocrine rhythms.…”

Section: Age-related Cellular and Functional Changes In The Hippocampusmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…Patients with Alzheimer's disease exhibit profound disruption of their circadian rhythms and a loss of pulsatility of neuroendocrine systems (Vitiello and Prinz, 1989;Ferrari et al, 2001). Inasmuch as the hippocampus is a major site of neurodegenerative pathology in Alzheimer's disease (Mattson, 2004;Mattson and Magnus, 2006), it is reasonable to consider that the damage to this brain region contributes to the perturbed regulation of neuroendocrine systems in this disease.…”

Section: Age-related Cellular and Functional Changes In The Hippocampusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contributions of impaired hippocampal plasticity and neurodegeneration to age-related deficits in hormonal pulsatility

Stranahan

Lee

Mattson

2008

Ageing Research Reviews

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Connectivity between the hippocampus and hypothalamus plays an essential role in circadian rhythmicity and stress responsiveness. Both hippocampal dysfunction and loss of hormonal pulsatility have been demonstrated in aged animals, but the possibility of a functional interaction between these two processes remains unexplored. Correlated hippocampal neuropathology and flattening of the circadian rhythms occur in the elderly, and we propose that these processes are causally linked. In this review, we discuss the anatomical and functional nature of hippocampal interconnections with the hypothalamus. We also discuss the results of studies exploring the relationship between circadian phase and hippocampal plasticity in young animals, with the goal of understanding how these mechanisms might be restored in the aging brain.

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“…The findings of our study are similar to the studies (12,17) in which DHEA-S level was found similar to controls in PD and GAD. The causes of different values of DHEA-S may be as follows: DHEA-S may have inter-individual variation and may decrease by age in the same individual (50). The differences in blood drawing time may also be another reason for the change in DHEA-S levels (51).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis activity by using dexamethasone suppression test in patients with panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder

Hacımusalar¹,

Eşel²

2017

Dusunen Adam

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Evaluation of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis activity by using dexamethasone suppression test in patients with panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorderObjective: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity on the pathophysiology of anxiety disorders by examining the HPA axis activity in patients with panic disorder (PD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).Method: Baseline and post dexamethasone suppression test (DST) serum concentrations of cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) were measured in patients with PD (n=24), GAD (n=21) and in healthy controls (n=20). Results:The baseline cortisol levels in GAD group were found lower than those of the patients with PD and healthy controls. Cortisol suppression by dexamethasone in GAD group was found to be lower than PD patients and healthy controls. Baseline and post-DST DHEA-S levels in the patients with PD and GAD were similar to those of the healthy controls. Yöntem: PB (n=24) ve YAB (n=21) olan hastalarda ve sağlıklı kontrollerde (n=20) bazal ve deksametazon baskılama testi (DST) uygulaması sonrasında kortizol ve dehidroepiandrosteron-sülfat (DHEA-S) değerleri ölçüldü.Bulgular: YAB grubunun bazal kortizol düzeyleri kontrol ve PB grubuna göre düşük bulundu. Ayrıca YAB grubunda deksametazonun kortizolu baskılaması kontrol ve PB grubuna göre düşük bulundu. PB ve YAB hastalarında bazal ve DST sonu DHEA-S düzeyleri kontrol grubuna benzer bulundu.Sonuç: YAB hastalarında bazal kortizol düzeyinin düşük olması ve DST'de kortizol baskılanmasının yetersiz oluşu bu hastalarda hem kortikotropin salgılatıcı hormon reseptörlerinde, hem de glukokortikoid reseptörlerinde bir aşağı ayarlama (down-regulation) olduğunu akla getirmektedir.Anahtar kelimeler: Dehidroepiandrosteron, deksametazon, yaygın anksiyete bozukluğu, panik bozukluğu

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Age-related changes of the adrenal secretory pattern: possible role in pathological brain aging

Cited by 84 publications

References 40 publications

Stress responses and innate immunity: aging as a contributory factor

Stress responses and innate immunity: aging as a contributory factor

Contributions of impaired hippocampal plasticity and neurodegeneration to age-related deficits in hormonal pulsatility

Evaluation of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis activity by using dexamethasone suppression test in patients with panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder

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