ADRENALECTOMY-INDUCED NEURONAL DEGENERATION

The binding of glucocorticoids to CNS receptors results in the modulat ion of many processes, ranging from neurotransmission to cell birth an d death. It is of no surprise, therefore, that the removal of these st eroids following adrenalectomy disrupts a variety of physiological fun ctions throughout the brain. It is the aim of this review to briefly d escribe the findings of research examining some of these glucocorticoi d-mediated CNS effects; however, as many of these areas have been revi ewed extensively by others, this review will focus on the recently des cribed phenomenon, adrenalectomy-induced hippocampal cell death. (C) 1 998 Elsevier Science Ltd.