Main description:

A panel of leading experts integrate the latest findings from basic and clinical science to create a comprehensive treatment of the processes by which the brain acts as an endocrine organ, not only to control hormonal functions, but also to maintain homeostasis and regulate behavior. The authors-recognized both as leaders in their fields and as skilled teachers-provide systematic coverage of the analytical, anatomical, functional, clinical, and pathological aspects of neuroendocrinology. Topics range from the interactions between the nervous and endocrine systems to the regulation of reproduction, development, metabolism, fluid balance, and biological rhythms. Neuroendocrinology in Physiology and Medicine offers an unprecedented marriage of clinical and basic knowledge that has been missing from classical neuroscience, endocrinology, and physiology texts. It will teach today's medical students and serve researchers as a valuable reference to this rapidly growing field.

Contents:

Part I. The Interactions Between the Nervous and Endocrine Systems. The Hypothalamus as an Endocrine Organ: The Science of Neuroendocrinology, Bela Halasz. Micro- and Macroscopic Structure, Innervation, and Vasculature of the Hypothalamus, Miklos Palkovits. Hypothalamic Hormones, Akira Arimura. Neurotransmitters as Regulators of Hypothalamic Function, Paul V. Malven. The Hypothalamus as a Major Integrative Center, Jon E. Levine. Endocrine Targets in the Brain, Lothar Jennes and M. Chris Langub. Part II. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Reproduction Parturition, Lactation, Growth, Development, Metabolism, and Fluid Balance. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Pituitary Function: General Principles, George Fink. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Reproductive Cyclicity, Neena Schwartz. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Pregnancy and Parturition, John R. G. Challis. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Lactation and Milk Ejection, H. Allen Tucker. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Growth Hormone Secretion, William B. Wehrenberg and Andrea Giustina. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Puberty, Sergio Ojeda and Marie Bilger. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Thyroid Function, William J. DeVito. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Water Balance: Kidney, Leonard Share and Edward G. Schneider. Part III. Neuroendocrine Correlates of Stress, Behavior, and Biological Processes. Regulation of the Stress Response by Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptors, Richard L. Hauger and Frank M. Dautzenberg. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Sexual Behavior, Donald W. Pfaff, Nandini Vasudevan, and Barbara Attardi. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Maternal Behavior, Robert S. Bridges and Elizabeth M. Byrnes. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Fluid Intake and Homeostasis, Joseph G. Verbalis and Edward M. Stricker. Control of Food Intake, Peter J. Havel, Philip J. Larsen, and Judy L. Cameron. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Learning and Memory, Tj. B. van Wimersma Greidanus, G. Croiset, and David de Wied. Neuroendocrine Correlates of Aging, Phyllis M.Wise. Part IV. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Biological Rhythms. Chronobiology, Gene D. Block, Marie Kerbeshian, and Erik D. Herzog. Influence of Light and the Pineal Gland on Biological Rhythms, Henryk F. Urbanski. Neuroendocrine Regulation of Biological Rhythms, Nancy L. Wayne. The Neuroendocrine Control of Seasonal Rhythms, Benoit Malpaux. The Neuroendocrine Control of Ultradian Rhythms, Johannes D. Veldhuis. Part V. Neuroendocrine Pathology Disease. Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypothalamic Disease, Marcello D. Bronstein, Malebranche B. C. Cunha Neto, and Nina Rosa de C. Musolino. Hypothalamic Involvement in Disorders of Pituitary Hormone Secretion, Ilan Shimon and Shlomo Melmed. Part VI. Emerging Areas of Neuroendocrinology. Neuroendocrine Immunology, Charles V. Clevenger and Loretta M. Flanagan-Cato. Electrophysiology of Hypothalamic Neurons, F. Edward Dudek, Bret N. Smith, Kelly J. Suter, and Jean-Pierre Wuarin. Anatomical Markers of Activity in Hypothalamic Systems, Gloria E. Hoffman and Anne Z. Murphy. Index.