Various environmental stressors, such as extreme temperatures (hot and cold), pathogens, predators and insufficient food, can threaten life. Remarkable progress has recently been made in understanding the central circuit mechanisms of physiological responses to such stressors. A hypothalamomedullary neural pathway from the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) to the rostral medullary raphe region (rMR) regulates sympathetic outflows to effector organs for homeostasis. Thermal and infection stress inputs to the preoptic area dynamically alter the DMH → rMR transmission to elicit thermoregulatory, febrile and cardiovascular responses. Psychological stress signalling from a ventromedial prefrontal cortical area to the DMH drives sympathetic and behavioural responses for stress coping, representing a psychosomatic connection from the corticolimbic emotion circuit to the autonomic and somatic motor systems. Under starvation stress, medullary reticular neurons activated by hunger signalling from the hypothalamus suppress thermogenic drive from the rMR for energy saving and prime mastication to promote food intake. This Perspective presents a combined neural network for environmental stress responses, providing insights into the central circuit mechanism for the integrative regulation of systemic organs.

各种环境压力源，例如极端温度（冷热）、病原体、捕食者和食物不足，都会威胁生命。最近在理解对这些压力源的生理反应的中枢回路机制方面取得了显着进展。从背内侧下丘脑 (DMH) 到延髓中缝区域 (rMR) 的下丘脑髓神经通路调节交感神经流出到效应器官以实现稳态。视前区的热和感染压力输入动态改变 DMH → rMR 传输，以引发体温调节、发热和心血管反应。从腹内侧前额叶皮层区域到 DMH 的心理压力信号驱动压力应对的交感神经和行为反应，代表从皮质边缘情绪回路到自主和躯体运动系统的心身连接。在饥饿压力下，由下丘脑的饥饿信号激活的髓质网状神经元抑制来自 rMR 的产热驱动，用于节能和初始咀嚼以促进食物摄入。该观点提出了一个用于环境压力反应的组合神经网络，提供了对系统器官综合调节的中央回路机制的见解。