Following the discovery of glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampus and other brain regions, research has focused on understanding the effects of glucocorticoids in the brain and their role in regulating emotion and cognition. Glucocorticoids are essential for adaptation to stressors (allostasis) and in maladaptation resulting from allostatic load and overload. Allostatic overload, which can occur during chronic stress, can reshape the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis through epigenetic modification of genes in the hippocampus, hypothalamus and other stress-responsive brain regions. Glucocorticoids exert their effects on the brain through genomic mechanisms that involve both glucocorticoid receptors and mineralocorticoid receptors directly binding to DNA, as well as by non-genomic mechanisms. Furthermore, glucocorticoids synergize both genomically and non-genomically with neurotransmitters, neurotrophic factors, sex hormones and other stress mediators to shape an organism's present and future responses to a stressful environment. Here, we discuss the mechanisms of glucocorticoid action in the brain and review how glucocorticoids interact with stress mediators in the context of allostasis, allostatic load and stress-induced neuroplasticity.

继在海马和其他大脑区域发现糖皮质激素受体之后，研究集中在了解糖皮质激素在大脑中的作用及其在调节情绪和认知中的作用。糖皮质激素对于适应应激源（同种异体症）以及因同种异体负荷和超负荷引起的适应不良必不可少。在慢性应激期间可能发生的同种异体过载，可通过海马，下丘脑和其他应激反应性大脑区域的基因的表观遗传修饰来重塑下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴。糖皮质激素通过涉及直接与DNA结合的糖皮质激素受体和盐皮质激素受体的基因组机制，以及通过非基因组机制，在大脑中发挥作用。此外，糖皮质激素与神经递质，神经营养因子，性激素和其他应激介质在基因组和非基因组上均协同作用，以塑造生物体对压力环境的当前和未来反应。在这里，我们讨论了糖皮质激素在大脑中的作用机制，并回顾了糖皮质激素如何在同种异体，异体负荷和应激诱导的神经可塑性的背景下与应激介质相互作用。