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Review
. 2011;14(5-7):328-45.
doi: 10.1080/10937404.2011.578556.

Early developmental actions of endocrine disruptors on the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex

Anne-Simone Parent  1 , Elise Naveau, Arlette Gerard, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, Gary L Westbrook
Affiliations
Review

Early developmental actions of endocrine disruptors on the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex

Anne-Simone Parent et al. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev. 2011.

Abstract

Sex steroids and thyroid hormones play a key role in the development of the central nervous system. The critical role of these hormonal systems may explain the sensitivity of the hypothalamus, the cerebral cortex, and the hippocampus to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC). This review examines the evidence for endocrine disruption of glial-neuronal functions in the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex. Focus was placed on two well-studied EDC, the insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). DDT is involved in neuroendocrine disruption of the reproductive axis, whereas polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) interact with both the thyroid hormone- and sex steroid-dependent systems and disturb the neuroendocrine control of reproduction and development of hippocampus and cortex. These results highlight the impact of EDC on the developing nervous system and the need for more research in this area.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The hypothalamus, the hippocampus and cerebral cortex show dependency on thyroid hormones and sex steroids starting with early organizational and developmental events during fetal and neonatal life and leading to late functional consequences in adolescence and adulthood. Such a lifelong hormonal dependency provides a basis for endocrine disruption. GnRH: gonadotropin-relasing hormone; TRH: thyrotropin-releasing hormone; NPY: neuropeptide Y, AgRP: agouti-related protein
Figure 2
Figure 2
The left panel illustrates the relative sequence of cellular changes during the stages of the cortex and hippocampus development in rodents. The right panel indicates the reported effects of sex steroids and thyroid hormones, or thyroid hormones alone, on the different aspects of cerebral cortex and hippocampus during earlydevelopment. Based on Williams, 2008
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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