title: [Current aspects of psychosomatic and endocrine stress research].
abstract: This review covers basic principles of (neural-)endocrine and psychosomatic aspects and its relationship to stress science. The term stress is rather imprecise, recent reviews defined stress in biological systems as any condition that seriously perturbs the physiological and psychological homeostasis of concerning organism. The review summarizes current knowledge of regulation of the HPA axis and other neural-endocrine-systems. The neurobiological data obtained suggest that inappropriate stress control involve dysfunction of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, limbic system and other brain regions. Stress induced different functional (increase of catecholamines and glucocorticoids) and structural changes in brain regions such as the hippocampus, with suppression of adult neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. These stress associated changes can potentially influence among other things learning and memory processes. The plasticity of brain allows to conceptualize a neurobiological perspective on psychotherapy that reflects the dynamic nature of the interaction between genes and the environment, respectively the consequences of stress. These developments point the way towards a new era of psychotherapy research and practice.
authors.affiliation: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Medizinische Klinik, Psychosomatische Ambulanz. Francisco.Pedrosa.Gil@med.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pedrosa Gil
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000502:physiology*; D011598:Psychoneuroimmunology / Q000639:trends; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011603:Psychophysiology; D011613:Psychotherapy; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000628:therapy; D040701:Stress Disorders, Traumatic, Acute / Q000628:therapy; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy