Unit:
Κατεύθυνση ΝευροεπιστήμεςLibrary of the School of Science
Supervisors info:
Μαρία Παναγιωτακοπούλου, Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Immunohistochemical study of the glucocorticoid receptor in the locus coeruleus of human neonates: possible role of perinatal hypoxia.
Translated title:
Immunohistochemical study of the glucocorticoid receptor in the locus coeruleus of human neonates: possible role of perinatal hypoxia.
Summary:
Early life stress, as hypoxia, during the critical perinatal period may play a role in the onset of both somatic and neuropsychiatric disorders later in life. Locus coeruleus (LC) participates in stress response increasing norepinephrine release. Cortisol, the main mediator of stress response, acts via mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors. In the brain, GR is abundant in hippocampus and LC. In the present study, we immunohistochemically investigated the effect of perinatal hypoxia on GR expression in the LC neurons of fetal/neonatal human brains with neuropathological lesions of acute or prolonged hypoxia. Our results showed that in full-term neonates, GR immunoreactivity in the nucleus of LC neurons was negatively correlated with hypoxia grading. Low GR immunoreactivity was observed in the nuclei of LC neurons in stillborn embryos. Based on our observations, we suggest that changes in GR expression due to perinatal hypoxia may predispose the survived infants to stress-related disorders.
Main subject category:
Science
Keywords:
Glucocorticoid receptor, perinatal hypoxia, early life stress, human neonates, immunohistochemistry, Locus coeruleus, tyrosine hydroxylase, cortisol, noradrenaline, stillbirth
