Chronology of advances in neuroendocrine immunomodulation.

This review documents the remarkable progress over the last 50 years of our knowledge of the control of anterior pituitary hormone release and synthesis by a family of peptidic releasing and inhibiting hormones, synthesized in hypothalamic neurons and released into the hypophysial portal vessels. These vessels transport them to the anterior pituitary, where they stimulate release and synthesis of pituitary hormones or inhibit these processes. In general, there are at least two hypothalamic hormones for each pituitary hormone-vasopressin and corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) for adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and growth hormone-inhibiting hormone (GIH) for growth hormone (GH). Some of these hormones have extrapituitary action: for example, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) stimulates mating behavior. High doses of LHRH have an inhibitory action on the growth of prostate cancer. Proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines act not only in the brain, but also on the pituitary and peripheral tissues. All of these transmitters are controlled by neuronal transmitters. We anticipate further rapid progress and clinical application of these transmitters and the discovery of new ones.