HORMONAL INFLUENCES ON BRAIN AGING QUALITY - FOCUS ON CORTICOTROPIN-RELEASING HORMONE-IMMUNOREACTIVE, VASOPRESSIN-IMMUNOREACTIVE AND OXYTOCIN-IMMUNOREACTIVE NEURONS IN THE HUMAN BRAIN

In this paper we have investigated the distribution of corticotropin r eleasing hormone (CRH)-, vasopressin- and oxytocin-immunoreactive (IR) neurones in the paraventricular nucleus in the senile compared to the adult human brain. We found a higher number of CRH-IR neurones in sen ile compared to adult subjects. Vasopressin-and oxytocin-IR neurones w ere instead more weakly stained in the former compared to latter. Thes e results support a hypothalamic involvement in promoting the higher a ctivity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and, thus, higher g lucocorticoid plasma levels which have been described in the elderly.