The developmental neuroendocrinology of reproduction and adaptation: lessons from animal research

Abstract

In order to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishing Department of Endocrinology of Reproduction and Adaptation at the V.P. Komisarenko Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism (Kyiv, Ukraine), the results of animal research in the field of developmental neuroendocrinology of reproduction and adaptation in early ontogenesis are reviewed in the article. Special attitude is paid to sex differentiation of the brain and developmental programming of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Presented are reprogramming effects of perinatal steroids, stress, some drugs, and chemical endocrine disruptors on the developing brain. Phenomenology and neurochemical mechanisms underlying hormone-neurotransmitter imprinting of morphology of the hypothalamus, sexual behavior, reproductive and endocrine functions, and stress reactivity are under discussion. The results of the studies could contribute to prenatal prevention of neuroendocrine and behavioral disorders.