Early experimental evidence for stress-induced changes in serotonergic neurotransmission has been extensively corroborated in subsequent pharmacological studies.19 Monitoring of serotonin synthesis, release, and receptor expression have provided valuable insight into the role of this transmitter in certain aspects of the behavioral and neuroendocrine response to stress and the pathogenesis of stress-related

disorders. Evidence for global activation of dopaminergic neuro-transmission under stressful conditions and links Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical to stress-related pathology suggests possible use of changes in this system for stress monitoring. These include morphological and functional heterogeneity of dopaminergic pathways, intricate involvement of dopaminergic transmission in selective information transfer, and motivation, integration, and adjustment of central nervous system (CNS) responses

to novelty and aversion20; how-ever, the appropriateness of dopamine-related end points in stress research requires careful evaluation. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical It should be noted that individual dopaminergic projections display differential degree of activation following stress, with the mesoprefrontal pathway being Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical particularly vulnerable,21 and the character of changes in dopaminergic transmission might heavily depend on the context of stress and cross-modulation by multiple convergent neurotransmitter input and endocrine variables. Stressinduced changes in reward-mediating neurotransmitters and their interaction with other neurohumoral constituents Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of the stress response entail the possibility of using liability to addiction as a measure for the assessment of behavioral impact of stress. Activation of cerebral cholinergic transmission by stress has been documented, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and its established roles in arousal, motivation, and cognition

are suggestive of an involvement in the processing of stressful stimuli. Probably due to differential regional and temporal release patterns, as well as discordant observations on their coincidence with other physiological end points,22 changes in GPCR Compound Library chemical structure acetylcholine release are less frequently used as end points for stress evaluation. Dramatic stress-induced increase in extracellular levels of glutamate, the major excitatory amino acid transmitter, have most been reported in numerous brain regions. Glutamate efflux in the prefrontal cortex has been implicated in the modulation of the dopamine response to stress, and an array of potential pathological consequences was outlined.23 Interactions between adrenocortical secretions and glutamate signaling in the hippocampus have prompted strong interest in the role of this neurotransmitter in long-term consequences of stress and their projections to various aspects of neuro and psychopathology, as well as therapeutic strategies.