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Hormones and human developmental plasticity.

Davide Ponzi1, Mark V Flinn2, Michael P Muehlenbein2

  • 1Unit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Italy.

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|February 1, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Human hormonal systems, including the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) and hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPGA), evolved for sociality. These systems adapt to variable environments and offspring dependency, not just stress.

Keywords:
AndrogensCortisolDevelopmental plasticityHuman evolutionHypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axisHypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axisLife historyStress

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Endocrinology
  • Human Development

Background:

  • Hormones mediate developmental plasticity, influencing phenotype changes during ontogeny.
  • Human hormonal systems show flexibility, suggesting adaptation to variable environments.
  • Research often focuses on maladaptive effects of early stress on HPAA and HPGA.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose that HPAA and HPGA evolved for sociality, not just stress response.
  • To explore the role of hormonal systems in human developmental plasticity.
  • To integrate physiological explanations with evolutionary and life history data.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluating an evolutionary framework.
  • Integrating proximate physiological explanations with ontogeny, phylogeny, and life history data.
  • Comparative analysis of hormonal systems and social structures.

Main Results:

  • Hormonal systems (HPAA, HPGA) are responsive to complex social problems.
  • Human sociality, including prolonged dependency and kin recognition, shaped these systems.
  • Flexibility in hormonal systems reflects adaptation to dynamic environments.

Conclusions:

  • HPAA and HPGA are key to navigating human social complexity and extended development.
  • Developmental plasticity mediated by hormones is crucial for human adaptation.
  • An evolutionary perspective is vital for understanding human hormonal systems.