Neuroendocrinology is the study of the interactions between the nervous and endocrine systems, including the biological features of neuroendocrine cells and their neurohumoral regulation as well as the synthesis, secretion and function of neurohormones. Classical neuroendocrine studies have focused on the hypothalamo–adenohypophyseal axis that controls the activity of adrenal, thyroid and gonadal glands as well as the hypothalamic–neurohypophyseal system that produces vasopressin and oxytocin to control the activity of the kidney, arteriole, uterus, and mammary glands, respectively. Studies on these systems have produced a variety of principles that are still the foundation of modern neuroendocrinology.
Over the past decades, with the introduction of many powerful bio-techniques and novel research ideas, considerable progress has been achieved in understanding the neuroendocrine system and neurohormones. In addition to the classically-identified neurohormones, many neuropeptides are also identified within the brain that influence a wide range of social and non-social behaviors, and within varieties of tissues to exert autocrine, paracrine and even intracrine functions, represented by brain-gut peptides and immunological peptides from the thymus. Correspondingly, modern neuroendocrinology embraces a wide range of topics from genetic and epigenetic features of neuroendocrine cells, clarification of receptors and their signaling mechanism, identification of novel neuropeptides and their functions, neuroendocrine basis of social behaviors and cognition, interaction between neuroendocrine/endocrine system and other organ systems, reciprocal brain-body communication, neuroendocrine regulation under varieties of physiological and pathological conditions, computational neuroendocrinology, to artificially engineering neuroendocrine organs and translational studies of these hormones. However, neuroendocrine researchers still face the challenges of many neuroendocrine diseases, such as hyperthyroidism, infertility, hypertension, hyponatremia, obesity, diabetes mellitus, breastfeeding failure, stress, mental retardation, psychiatric disorders and endocrine tumors. It is beyond all doubt that Chinese scholars have contributed significantly to the neuroendocrine knowledge by continuously creating novel approaches, concepts and principles in both basic research and clinical application
To facilitate interactions between Chinese and international neuroendocrinologists, promote the growth of the neuroendocrine society and explore better strategy of treatment of neuroendocrine diseases, we would like to provide this platform to collect a broad assembly of papers including original research, perspectives and reviews, covering all issues of the regulation and functions of the neuroendocrine system. We welcome all Chinese neuroendocrine scientists and their international collaborators join in our march for the future neuroendocrinology by submitting your research work and thought.
Neuroendocrinology is the study of the interactions between the nervous and endocrine systems, including the biological features of neuroendocrine cells and their neurohumoral regulation as well as the synthesis, secretion and function of neurohormones. Classical neuroendocrine studies have focused on the hypothalamo–adenohypophyseal axis that controls the activity of adrenal, thyroid and gonadal glands as well as the hypothalamic–neurohypophyseal system that produces vasopressin and oxytocin to control the activity of the kidney, arteriole, uterus, and mammary glands, respectively. Studies on these systems have produced a variety of principles that are still the foundation of modern neuroendocrinology.
Over the past decades, with the introduction of many powerful bio-techniques and novel research ideas, considerable progress has been achieved in understanding the neuroendocrine system and neurohormones. In addition to the classically-identified neurohormones, many neuropeptides are also identified within the brain that influence a wide range of social and non-social behaviors, and within varieties of tissues to exert autocrine, paracrine and even intracrine functions, represented by brain-gut peptides and immunological peptides from the thymus. Correspondingly, modern neuroendocrinology embraces a wide range of topics from genetic and epigenetic features of neuroendocrine cells, clarification of receptors and their signaling mechanism, identification of novel neuropeptides and their functions, neuroendocrine basis of social behaviors and cognition, interaction between neuroendocrine/endocrine system and other organ systems, reciprocal brain-body communication, neuroendocrine regulation under varieties of physiological and pathological conditions, computational neuroendocrinology, to artificially engineering neuroendocrine organs and translational studies of these hormones. However, neuroendocrine researchers still face the challenges of many neuroendocrine diseases, such as hyperthyroidism, infertility, hypertension, hyponatremia, obesity, diabetes mellitus, breastfeeding failure, stress, mental retardation, psychiatric disorders and endocrine tumors. It is beyond all doubt that Chinese scholars have contributed significantly to the neuroendocrine knowledge by continuously creating novel approaches, concepts and principles in both basic research and clinical application
To facilitate interactions between Chinese and international neuroendocrinologists, promote the growth of the neuroendocrine society and explore better strategy of treatment of neuroendocrine diseases, we would like to provide this platform to collect a broad assembly of papers including original research, perspectives and reviews, covering all issues of the regulation and functions of the neuroendocrine system. We welcome all Chinese neuroendocrine scientists and their international collaborators join in our march for the future neuroendocrinology by submitting your research work and thought.
