SUBJECT

Neuroendocrinology

lecture

master

Faculty of Science

Biology MSc

2

Semesters 1-4

Autumn/Spring semester

1. Introduction. Development of neuroendocrinology as a science discipline. Classification of chemical signal molecules. Endocrine organs and their hormones.

2. Structure, function and hormones of the hypophysis. Hypophysis hormonse in the central nervous system.

3. Hormones of the hypothalamus. neurosecretory cells. Conception of the neuroendocrine transuction. The hypothalamus-hypophysis system.

4. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal cortex axis. Regulation of the stress response. The role of stress in the neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders.

5. The hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis. Physiological and patophysiological characteristics of the central nervous regulation of fertility.

6. Effect of neurotransmitters to the hypothalamu-hypophysis system. Neuronal regulation of the hypothalamic neurosecretory cells and of the hypophysis. Electrophysiology of the neurosecretory cells. Psychiatric disorders based on malfunczion of neuroendocrine systems, and their treatment.

7. Measuring and regulation of hormone levels. Synthesis, secretion, transport and deactivation of hormones. pathological hormone regulation, clinico-pathological features.

8. Steroid and thyroid hormone receptors. The intracellular receptor family. Gonadal and adrenal cortex hormone targets in the central nervous system.The role of steroid hormone modulation in the function of neurons.

9. Mechanisms of the effect of steroid hormones. Classical and non-classical mechanisms. Recptors in the membrane. Genomic end non-genomic effects. Measuring hormone effects in the CNS (electrophysiology, imaging, DNS microarray, neuroproteomics, transgenic technology).

10. Receptors of peptid hormones, neuropeptides és neurotranszmittersi. Membrane-receptors. G-proteine mediated signaltransduction. Signal transmitting systems and their relationship. Signal amplification. Comparison of the cellular effects of the steroid and peptide hormones.

11. Neuropeptides I. Classification, synthesis, colocalisation with classic transmitters. Neuropeptide receptors and signalling pathways. Neuropeptides and the blood-brain barrier. Neuronmodulation. Neurotransmitter -like effects.

12. Neuropeptides II. Effects of neuropeptides in the neuroendocrine system. Visceral, cognitive and behavioural effects of the neuropeptides.

13. Neuro-endocrine-immunology. Cells of the immune system. The thymus and its hormones. Cytokines. The effects off cytokines on the CNS and on the neuroendocrine cells. Neural and endocrine regulation of the immune system. Hypothalamic integration of the neuroendocrine-immune system.

14. Behavioural neuroendocrinology. Behavioural tests. Connections between the hormonal and behavioural changes. Effects of neuroendióocrine manipulations on the behaviour. Neuroendocrine responses on environmental, behavioural and cognitive stimuli. The role of neuronal and genomic mechanisms on the relationship of neuroendocrine and behavioural systems.

• Richard E. Brown Introduction to Neuroendocrinology Cambridge University press 1996

• Kandel et al. Principles of Neuronal Science Elsevier 2000

• Siegel et al. Basic Neurochemistry Lippincott-Raven 1999

• George Fink, Donald W. Pfaff, Jon Levine: Handbook of Neuroendocrinology, Academic Press, 2011, ISBN 9780123785541