THE INVOLVEMENT OF INNERVATION IN THE REGULATION OF FETAL ADRENAL STEROIDOGENESIS

Over the last decade, great interest has been generated in evaluation of the extent of neural control of the adrenal cortex and in adrenal c ortical/medullary paracrine interactions. The purpose of this review i s to summarize current knowledge of fetal adrenal cortical innervation and to present an overview of those studies of fetal adrenal function indicating that adrenal innveration plays a functional role in the co ntrol of glucocorticoid secretion under basal conditions and in respon se to a variety of homeostatic challenges. It will be helpful in under standing both the innervation of the adrenal cortex and the role of ad renal innervation in steroidogenesis during fetal development to brief ly review experimental studies that have shed light on adrenal steroid ogenesis during postnatal life. This is helpful for two reasons: 1) th e vast majority of studies of adrenal innervation and its effect on st eroidogenesis have utilized postnatal animals and 2) since the fetus i s preparing for postnatal life, evaluating the level of function achie ved postnatally provides crucial insights into the developmental stage s of adrenal innervation and its role in steroidogenesis in preparing the fetus for an independent postnatal existence.