Full Description
First published in 1986, the influence of hormones secreted or regulated by the pituitary gland on the immune system is examined in detail, including discussions of adrenocorticotropic hormone, glucocorticoids, catecholamines, growth hormone, insulin, prolactin, gonadotropins, sex steroid hormones, and thyroid hormones. The relative importance of various hormones in immunoregulation is considered, and evidence for interaction between the immune and neurohormonal systems is presented. The possible effects of hormonal immunomodulation in reproduction, infections and parasitic disease, autoimmu-nity, and cancer are examined. This comprehensive reference serves both basic and clinical researchers and practitioners in immunology, microbiology, endocrinology, reproduction biology, neurology, oncology, psychology, medicine, and veterinary medicine.
Contents
The Immune System and its Function. The Pituitary Gland. Pituitary Malfunction and Immune Abnormalities. The influ-ence of Pituitary-Adrenal Axis on the Immune System. Prolactin and Other Lactogenic Hormones. gonadotropins and Sex Hor-mones. The Pituitary Thyroid Axis. the Effect of Miscellaneous Hormones and Neurotransmitters on the Immune System. Im-munoregulation by Pituitary Hormones. Regulatory Immune-Neuro-Endocrine Feed-back Signals. The Central Nervous System and Learning: Feedforward Regulation of Immune Responses. Role of Hormonal Immunoregulation in Reproduction. The Influence of Hor-mones on Infectious and Parasitic Disease. Sex Hormones in Au-toimmunity. Pituitary-Neurohormonal Immunoregulation in Cancer. Index.
