Hormones and Brain Plasticity
Luis Miguel García-Segura
Abstract
One of the most fascinating developments in the field of neuroscience in the second half of the 20th century was the discovery of the endogenous capacity of the brain for reorganization during adult life. Morphological and functional mechanisms underlying brain plasticity have been extensively explored and characterized. However, our understanding of the functional significance of these plastic changes is still fragmentary. This book shows that brain plasticity plays an essential role in the regulation of hormonal levels. The second aim is to propose that hormones orchestrate the multiple endo ... More
One of the most fascinating developments in the field of neuroscience in the second half of the 20th century was the discovery of the endogenous capacity of the brain for reorganization during adult life. Morphological and functional mechanisms underlying brain plasticity have been extensively explored and characterized. However, our understanding of the functional significance of these plastic changes is still fragmentary. This book shows that brain plasticity plays an essential role in the regulation of hormonal levels. The second aim is to propose that hormones orchestrate the multiple endogenous plastic events of the brain for the generation of adequate physiological and behavioral responses in adaptation to and in prediction of changing life conditions. The book starts by introducing the conceptual backgrounds on the interactions of hormones and brain plasticity. It then devotes itself to the analysis of the role of brain plasticity in the regulation of the activity of endocrine glands. It examines different hormonal influences on brain plasticity. Then, it goes on to cover the interactions of hormones and brain plasticity along the life cycle under physiological and pathological conditions.
Keywords:
endogenous capacity,
reorganization,
morphological mechanisms,
functional mechanisms,
brain plasticity,
hormone levels,
physiological responses,
behavioral responses
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2009 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780195326611 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: May 2009 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195326611.001.0001 |
