Main Neuroendocrine Responses of Mammals in Cold Stress

Neural and endocrine responses of mammals in cold stress were summarized in this paper.Cold stress activates sympathetic nervous system,activates the procedure of synthesis and release of hormones of hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis,and increases the secretion of catecholamine of sympathetic-adernal-medullary system At the same time,secretions of hormo nes of somatotrophic axis,gonadotrophic axis and lactotrophic axis are inhibit ed.Many neuropeptides and hormonesare involved in the stress response,such as neuropeptide Y,melatonin,leptin,orexin.The activation of hypothalamo-pituit ary-thyroid axis is a compensatory response of heat loss in cold environment,and it is beneficial to the maintaining of constant body temperature.The positive feedback system between the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and norepin ephrine (NE) forms during cold stress,but glucocorticoid inhibites both CRH and NE release,and heat produces.The neuroendocrine responses of chronic cold stress tends to recover,but the physiological responses in the state of new homeost asis reconstructed in cold stress might be different from the responses under basic condition.And cold stress changes animals response to later stressor.