Books in the Oxford Series in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology series

In this fascinating work, Jacques Balthazart examines what research on animals can tell us about the biological factors that control human sexual behavior and orientation.

The nervous system has a remarkable capacity for self-reorganization, and in this first systematic analysis of the interaction between hormones and brain plasticity, Luis Miguel Garcia-Segura proposes that hormones modulate metaplasticity in the brain. He covers a wide variety of hormones, brain regions, and neuroplastic events, and also provides a new theoretical background with which to interpret the interaction of hormones and brain remodeling throughout theentire life of the organism. Garcia-Segura argues that hormones are indispensable for adequately adapting the endogenous neuroplastic activity of the brain to the incessant modifications in external and internal environments. Their regulation of neuroplastic events in a given moment predetermines new neuroplastic responses that will occur in the future, adapting brain reorganization to changing physiological and behavioral demands throughout the life of the organism. The cross-regulation of brain plasticity and hormonesintegrates information originated in multiple endocrine glands and body organs with information coming from the external world in conjunction with the previous history of the organism. Multiple hormonal signals act in concert to regulate the generation of morphological and functional changes in neuralcells, as well as the replacement of neurons, glial, and endothelial cells in neural networks. Brain remodeling, in turn, is involved in controlling the activity of the endocrine glands and regulating hormonal secretions. This bidirectional adjustment of brain plasticity in response to hormonal inputs, and adjustment of hormonal concentrations in response to neuroplastic events are crucial for maintaining the stability of the inner milieu and for the generation of adequate behavioral responsesin anticipation of-and in adaptation to-new social and environmental circumstances and life events, including pathological conditions.

The exponential increases in neurodevelopmental disorders implicate both genetic causes and environmental factors. Flame-retardants, pesticides, plasticizers, and other every-day products contain chemicals shown to affect thyroid hormone signaling, which if disrupted can result in significant impairment to IQ. Across entire populations, such effects spell large-scale social and economic consequences.

This book concerns how estrogens are synthesized in the brain and their two modes of action on behavior: a slow process involving gene transcription and a faster action at the cell membrane. The significance of the regulation and distribution of the estrogen synthesizing enzyme aromatase in the brain is also highlighted.

Estrogens and Memory: Basic Research and Clinical Implications provides a compendium of cutting-edge basic and clinical research describing the ways in which estrogens regulate memory in a variety of species. Chapters are written by leading experts whose work is on the forefront of this exciting field. Three fundamental discussions focus on: effects of estrogens on the hippocampus and other brain regions central to memory, effects of estrogens on memory andrelated cognitive processes throughout the lifespan, and translational implications of estrogenic regulation of memory for aging and disease.

Most physiological and behavioral mechanisms that comprise the stress response come from laboratory experiments using domesticated animals. This book summarizes work to understand stress in natural contexts.