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Review
. 2023 Feb 13;20(4):3257.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043257.

The Involvement of Prolactin in Stress-Related Disorders

Agata Faron-Górecka  1 , Katarzyna Latocha  1 , Paulina Pabian  1 , Magdalena Kolasa  1 , Iwona Sobczyk-Krupiarz  2 , Marta Dziedzicka-Wasylewska  1
Affiliations
Review

The Involvement of Prolactin in Stress-Related Disorders

Agata Faron-Górecka et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The most important and widely studied role of prolactin (PRL) is its modulation of stress responses during pregnancy and lactation. PRL acts as a neuropeptide to support physiological reproductive responses. The effects of PRL on the nervous system contribute to a wide range of changes in the female brain during pregnancy and the inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. All these changes contribute to the behavioral and physiological adaptations of a young mother to enable reproductive success. PRL-driven brain adaptations are also crucial for regulating maternal emotionality and well-being. Hyperprolactinemia (elevated PRL levels) is a natural and beneficial phenomenon during pregnancy and lactation. However, in other situations, it is often associated with serious endocrine disorders, such as ovulation suppression, which results in a lack of offspring. This introductory example shows how complex this hormone is. In this review, we focus on the different roles of PRL in the body and emphasize the results obtained from animal models of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Keywords: hyperprolactinemia; neuropsychiatric disorders; prolactin; stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Differences in HPA axis activities of healthy patients and patients with depression or schizophrenia. This figure was created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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