Abstract
The families of endogenous opioid peptides (endorphins, enkephalins, and dynorphins) are distributed throughout the central nervous system, with both the peptides themselves and their putative receptors especially concentrated in nuclei concerned with neuroendocrine regulation, particularly the hypothalamus. Whatever their direct effects on gonadal function, opioid peptides can indirectly modulate reproductive fitness by regulating the output and fine-tuning of the principal mammalian stress axes, the sympatho-adrenomedullary system and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (H-P-A) axis. From a vast field, the current review will concentrate on some of our own work in order to obtain a potential overview of the regulation of these systems, with particular reference to the human. Full lists of references can be found in a number of reviews cited.
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Grossman, A. (1990). Opioid Peptides and Stress: The Sympathetic Nervous System and Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. In: Distler, W., Beck, L. (eds) Endorphins in Reproduction and Stress. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75797-6_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75797-6_8
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