The Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis

Part 1: Physiology - Introduction: The HPA Axis and the Immune system: interactions in perspective; Physiology of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical axis; Molecular mechanisms of glucocorticoid signaling; Organization of the sympathetic nervous system; The innate immune system; Specific immune response; The immune system of the brain; Part 2: Effect of the HPA axis and the sympathetic system on the immune system - Glucocorticoid effects on the immune response; Glucocorticoids and dendritic cells: a link between innate and adaptive immunity; Toll-like receptors and glucocorticoids; Effects of glucocorticoids on the developing thymus; Effects of catecholamines on the immune response; Enhancing versus suppressive effects of stress on immune function; Part 3: Effect of the immune response on the HPA axis and the sympathetic nervous system - Processing of cytokine signals at CNS levels: relevance for immune-HPA axis interactions; Inflammatory mediator action on the anterior pituitary gland; Neuroendocrinology and the Immune Response. Inflammatory mediator effects on the adrenal gland; Inflammatory mediators affect the autonomic nervous system; Part 4: Clinical implications of neuro-endocrine-immune interactions - The neuroendocrinology and Immunology of critical illness; Neuroendocrinology of inflammatory disorders; The HPA axis in rheumatic autoimmune disorders; Glucocorticoid resistance in inflammatory diseases; Glucocorticoids and asthma: from clinics to genes