Testosterone is a powerful steroid hormone that can impact the brain and behavior in various ways, including regulating behavioral and neuroendocrine (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis) stress responses. Early in life androgens can act to alter development of brain regions associated with stress regulation, which ultimately impacts the display of stress responses later in life. Adult circulating androgens can also influence the expression of distinct genes and proteins that regulate stress responses. These changes in the brain are hypothesized to underlie the potent effects of androgens in regulating behaviors related to stress and stress-induced activation of the HPA axis. Androgens can induce alterations in these functions through direct binding to the androgen receptor (AR) or following conversion to estrogens and subsequent binding to estrogen receptors including estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), beta (ERβ), and G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER1). In this review, we focus on the role of androgens in regulating behavioral and neuroendocrine stress responses at different stages of the lifespan and the sex hormone receptors involved in regulating these effects. We also review the specific brain regions and cell phenotypes upon which androgens are proposed to act to regulate stress responses with an emphasis on hypothalamic and extended amygdala subregions. This knowledge of androgen effects on these neural systems is critical for understanding how sex hormones regulate stress responses.

中文翻译：

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雄激素对行为应激反应和下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴的调节

睾酮是一种强大的类固醇激素，可以通过多种方式影响大脑和行为，包括调节行为和神经内分泌（下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺 (HPA) 轴）应激反应。在生命早期，雄激素可以改变与压力调节相关的大脑区域的发育，最终影响生命后期压力反应的表现。成人循环雄激素还可以影响调节应激反应的不同基因和蛋白质的表达。据推测，大脑中的这些变化是雄激素在调节与压力和压力诱导的 HPA 轴激活相关的行为方面发挥强大作用的基础。雄激素可以通过直接与雄激素受体 (AR) 结合或转化为雌激素并随后与雌激素受体（包括雌激素受体 α (ERα)、β (ERβ) 和 G 蛋白偶联雌激素受体 1）结合来诱导这些功能的改变。 GPER1）。在这篇综述中，我们重点关注雄激素在生命周期不同阶段调节行为和神经内分泌应激反应中的作用，以及参与调节这些作用的性激素受体。我们还回顾了雄激素调节应激反应的特定大脑区域和细胞表型，重点关注下丘脑和扩展杏仁核亚区域。了解雄激素对这些神经系统的影响对于理解性激素如何调节压力反应至关重要。