Hypothalamic atrophy

A person's physical activities, behaviors and thoughts are all controlled by the brain. The brain is very complex and includes many small parts, and the hypothalamus is one of them. The hypothalamus and pituitary gland secrete hormones, which are very helpful for the development of the body. However, if the hypothalamus atrophies, it will affect the secretion of hormones and inhibit the activity of the brain. It is necessary to go to the hospital in time for targeted treatment and rehabilitation.

Through experiments, scientists have conducted in-depth research on a variety of different stressful stimuli and their effects on the HPA axis in different environments. Stressors can be of many different types - in experiments with rats, two types of stress stimuli are often used: social stress and physical stress.

Both stressors can activate the function of the HPA axis through different pathway mechanisms. Many monoamine neurotransmitters play an important role in the regulation of the HPA axis, especially dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. Adaptogens in traditional Chinese medicine (such as ginseng, ganoderma lucidum, etc.) can play a role by regulating the HPA axis.

Mammals and other vertebrates also have an HPA axis. For example, biologists studying fish have found that low social status can cause chronic stress, manifested as a lack of aggressive behavior, lack of dominance, and chronic threat from dominant fish. Serotonin (5HT) may be an activating neurotransmitter that regulates stress responses. Increased serotonin levels can increase the concentration of α-melanocyte stimulating hormone in the cytoplasm, causing the skin to darken (a social signal for salmon groups), activating the HPA axis, and inhibiting aggressive behavior. Adding the amino acid L-tryptophan (a precursor to serotonin) to rainbow trout feed reduced the salmon's aggressive behavior and response to stimuli. However, the results also indicated that the level of cortisol in the cytosol was not affected by this dietary L-tryptophan.