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Iodine and the Brain pp 5–18Cite as

Regulation of Thyroid Hormone Metabolism in the Brain

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Abstract

In recent years, it has become apparent that most of the 3,5,3’ — triiodothyronine (T3) present in the cerebral cortical nuclei is derived from local thyroxine (T4) to T3 conversion. In this discussion, I will review our knowledge of the processes by which this situation arises and how it might serve to protect the brain from thyroid hormone deficiency in circumstances where serum T4 is reduced, such as occurs in hypothyroidism or in iodine deficiency. The review will include the enzymology of the brain deiodinases and how they respond to alterations in thyroid status, as well as our knowledge of their anatomical and cellular localization. In addition, the various levels of adaptation of thyroid hormone economy in the hypothyroid neonatal rat brain will be examined. Considerable knowledge has accumulated in this area over the last eight years. The interested reader should supplement the information in the discussion with the bibliographic citations and especially a recent comprehensive volume reviewing the subject of thyroid hormone metabolism (1).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute Laboratory and Dept. of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    P. Reed Larsen

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  1. P. Reed Larsen
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    G. Robert DeLong

  2. National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Jacob Robbins  & Peter G. Condliffe  & 

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© 1989 Plenum Press, New York

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Larsen, P.R. (1989). Regulation of Thyroid Hormone Metabolism in the Brain. In: DeLong, G.R., Robbins, J., Condliffe, P.G. (eds) Iodine and the Brain. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0765-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0765-5_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8071-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-0765-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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