Endocrine and “Paracrine” Effects on Brain Activity

Abstract

The brain, as any other organ of the body, is continually subject to the influence of hormones secreted by the various endocrine glands. Some of these hormones are secreted by the nervous tissue itself; some are produced simultaneously by the cells within the nervous tissue and some other organ of the body, such as the stomach or intestine. They influence a wide range of brain activities. And, while the names given to some of the peptide hormones were based upon early attributions to them of single specific functions associated with one system, further research revealed that most had several other independent actions (Kastin et al., 1981). Various hypothalamic peptides, for instance, were shown to exhibit certain central behavioral effects, in addition to their previously acknowledged pituitary hormonal activities.