The Role of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids in Disruption of the Physiological Function in Discrete Areas of the Central Nervous System

Abstract

Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) abuse is often associated with a wide spectrum of adverse effects. These drugs are frequently abused by adolescents and athletes for esthetic purposes, as well as for improvement of their endurance and performances. In this literature review, we evaluated the correlation between AAS and anxiety or aggression. Two pathways are thought to be involved in AAS-induced behavioral disorders. Direct pathway via the amygdalo-fugal pathway, which connects the central nucleus of the amygdala to the brainstem, is involved in cognitive-emotive and homeostatic processes. The latter is modified by chronic AAS use, which subsequently leads to increased anxiety. Indirect pathways via the serotonergic, dopaminergic, and glutamatergic signals which are modified by AAS abuse in latero-anterior hypothalamus and can mediate the aggressive behavior. In conclusion, the molecular mechanisms underlying the behavioral alterations following AAS abuse is unclear and remains ambiguous as additional long-term studies aimed to understand the precise mechanisms are required.

Neuropeptides’ Hypothalamic Regulation of Sleep Control in Children Affected by Functional Non-Retentive Fecal Incontinence

“…CRF is released in PVN and stimulates adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion (ACTH) from the anterior pituitary gland. ACTH stimulates the release of glucocorticoid from the cortex of the adrenal gland [8]. This system is activated under stress conditions, along with another endocrine system, the sympathetic-adrenal-medullar axis, which determines the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline from the adrenal medulla [9,10].…”

What Does Personality Mean in the Context of Mental Health? A Topic Modeling Approach Based on Abstracts Published in Pubmed Over the Last 5 Years

“…In fact, the transition of personality traits from healthy to dysfunctional and, finally, to pathological is partly determined by context variables and by the demands that the subjects receive in the environments in which they move. These variables are difficult to identify and to correlate with the individual's answers (5)(6)(7). Although clinicians and most scholars currently believe that PD symptoms are the product of extreme expression of healthy personality traits (both in the sense of deficiency and excessive manifestation), there is still no satisfactory theoretical model that can support this point of view.…”

Functional Changes Induced by Orexin A and Adiponectin on the Sympathetic/Parasympathetic Balance

“…This peptide was so named for its effects also on eating behavior (Ohno and Sakurai, 2008 ; Messina et al, 2014 ). However, an intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of orexin A also causes tachycardia (Monda et al, 2005 ; Bertozzi et al, 2017 ), associated with an increase in blood pressure (BP) (Shirasaka et al, 1999 ; Avola et al, 2004 ) and metabolic rate (Lubkin and Stricker-Krongrad, 1998 ). These autonomic changes suggest that this peptide is involved in the regulation of autonomic reactions.…”