Are the Adrenal Glands Related to Your Emotions?

The Hypothalamus is a noble cerebral area intimately related to emotions. It activates the Pituitary Gland and the entire Autonomic Nervous System, generating physical and psychological responses throughout the organism. Thus, we can say that the entire Endocrine System is mobilized from the Hypothalamus, hence the expression Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. To illustrate the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis, we recall that corticosteroids, responsible for organic defenses, control of allergic reactions, and the balance of salt and water, are synthesized from cholesterol in the cortex of the Adrenal Gland.

For the Adrenal Glands to release cortisol, which is the main corticosteroid naturally produced in humans, they need to be stimulated by another hormone secreted in the brain, more precisely, in the Pituitary Gland. This hormone is the Corticotropic Hormone (Corticotropin, or simply, ACTH).

In the brain, more precisely in the Pituitary Gland, for ACTH to be produced to stimulate the Adrenal Glands, there is a need for stimulation from another hormone, called Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH), which is synthesized in the paraventricular nucleus, in the Hypothalamus.

The secretion of CRH, where all organic mobilization begins, is controlled by at least two types of stimuli: stress and the biological clock, responsible for the entire circadian rhythm of the organism. Well, this biological clock ensures that the nocturnal secretion of ACTH and cortisol occurs in a pulsatile manner, reaching its lowest level in the first half of the night, increasing rapidly as awakening approaches, when its secretion is maximal (between 6 and 10 AM).

For the control of this theater of hormonal release-inhibition, there is a mechanism called feedback, meaning that the elevated level of cortisol in circulation itself inhibits the release of CRH and ACTH, which will ultimately result in the inhibition of cortisol itself.

If the basis of hormone release is located in the brain, then cerebral issues directly interfere with hormone secretion, that is, stress and anxiety directly influence hormone levels, even if these are synthesized in glands outside the brain, but commanded by it. We are talking here about the axis that connects the Hypothalamus (basal nuclei), the Pituitary Gland, and the Adrenal Glands. But there are other axes, such as the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis. Hormonal changes can, in fact, induce significant emotional changes and vice versa. Excess or lack of corticosteroids, for example, can produce anxiety, depression, and confusional states as if they were true psychoses. Psychological symptoms resulting from hormonal dysfunctions occur through at least 3 types of mechanisms:

1 - changes in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, or prefrontal cortex. 2 - action of hormones on specific receptors in the brain. 3 - peripheral metabolic changes.

Therefore, hormones are implicated in the activation, inhibition, or modulation of the central mechanisms of the Central Nervous System related to behavioral patterns and specific emotions. Hypothalamic hormones, for example, act directly or indirectly in the regulation of negative emotions. The action of these hormones, due to the existence of specific receptors in the Central Nervous System, can influence memory, learning, sexual behavior, maternal behavior, affectivity, etc.

The primary reactions of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis are modulated by the Central Nervous System, mainly by the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. In case of emotional reactions, the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis is mobilized to balance the organism; however, when such emotional reactions are very intense, when the action of this axis is not adequate, the changes in cortisone (elevation of 17-OHCS) are very marked, and in such a way that the dosage of this hormone is considered a sensitive and objective index of a person's emotional state.

Cortisol Corticosteroids and androgenic hormones are the substances most related to stress. Cortisol is the most abundant corticosteroid in the organism, and the so-called DHEA best represents androgenic hormones.

Cortisol levels vary according to the circadian cycle, as we have seen, and exert important effects on the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, on muscle tone and other tissues, on myocardial integrity, and on anti-inflammatory responses. Cortisol also influences glucose conservation, protein synthesis, and the regulation of fatty acids in adipose tissues. The relationship between cortisol and the immune system is proven by its influence on T Lymphocytes, IL-2, and interferon.

Mental disorders and dysfunction of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis

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