Childhood maltreatment, pituitary volume and adolescent hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis – evidence for a maltreatment-related attenuation

Child maltreatment is a widespread phenomenon affecting the lives of millions of children all over the world (Stoltenborgh et al., 2015). Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that experiences of childhood maltreatment lead to enduring changes in both the activity, and particularly the reactivity, of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA); however, data on the exact developmental pathways of these alterations are rare (McCrory et al., 2010; Tarullo and Gunnar, 2006). The HPAA is one of the major stress response systems of the human body (Gunnar and Quevedo, 2007); HPAA activation causes the release of corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) from the hypothalamus, which binds to receptors on the anterior pituitary gland.

Source: Psychoneuroendocrinology - August 2, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Michael Kaess, Sarah Whittle, Laurie O ’Brien-Simpson, Nicholas B. Allen, Julian G. Simmons Source Type: research