Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026

A Chronic Immobilization Stress Protocol for Inducing Depression-Like Behavior in Mice
Published on: May 15, 2019
From the stalk to down under about brain glucocorticoid receptors, stress and development
E Ronald de Kloet1, Fang Han, Onno C Meijer
1Division of Medical Pharmacology, LACDR/LUMC, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands. e.kloet@lacdr.leidenuniv.nl
Abstract:
George Fink witnessed the birth of modern neuroendocrinology while examining with Geoffrey Harris the secrets of the pituitary stalk secretagogs. From thereon neuroendocrine systems were identified that linked experience and behavior with hormone secretion and action. A prime example of this integration of body and mind with the environment is provided by the corticosteroid hormones released from the adrenals in one hour pulses and after stress. Corticosteroids coordinate cell and organ function with membrane properties and gene transcription over time spans from milliseconds to hours, days, weeks and even a life time. Here we report that also the receptors display a remarkable plasticity in determining the fate of an organism.
Related Concept Videos
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
Physiological Foundation of Stress
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...
Hormones of the Adrenal Glands
The adrenal cortex, a powerhouse of hormone synthesis, generates over two dozen corticosteroid hormones. The zona glomerulosa produces mineralocorticoids, exemplified by aldosterone, influencing the electrolyte composition of body fluids. The synthesis of glucocorticoids such as cortisol and corticosterone...
Gut-Brain Axis
The Sympathetic Nervous System
Cushing Syndrome II: Pathophysiology

