Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 2015, 27, 377
EDITORIAL
© 2015 British Society for Neuroendocrinology
Special Issue of Journal of Neuroendocrinology with Peer-reviewed Articles from the 8th International Congress of Neuroendocrinology Held in Sydney, Australia in August 2014 I am delighted to welcome you to this Special Issue of Journal of Neuroendocrinology, which carries 18 peer-reviewed articles based on invited presentations from the International Congress of Neuroendocrinology (ICN) 2014. The 8th International Congress of Neuroendocrinology was held in Sydney, Australia, in August 2014, jointly and fully integrated with the 18th Annual Meeting of the Society for Behavioural Neuroendocrinology. Supported by the rest of the Regional Organising Committee and the Program Organising Committee, Dave Grattan assembled an excellent programme of plenary talks, symposia, and submitted oral and poster presentations. It was very pleasing that the Journal of Neuroendocrinology and our publishers, Wiley, were again able to put together a significant sponsorship package to support this flagship meeting, and we look forward to our involvement in ICN2018. Subsequent to the Sydney meeting, we have been working with invited speakers, referees and editors in the preparation of review manuscripts covering three of the scientific themes around which the meeting was constructed: ‘Obesity/Diabetes’, ‘Stress’ and ‘Neuropeptides’, as well as the prestigious Mortyn Jones Plenary Lecture, which was delivered by Professor Stafford Lightman, and formed a fitting finale to the congress. The review paper based on the Mortyn Jones lecture addresses the importance of biological oscillators for hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) activity (Russell and colleagues), making the case that pulsatility is a key feature of glucocorticoid secretion and function. A better understanding of the importance of pulsatility for normal physiology should shed light on the consequences of its disruption and the contribution of any disruption to clinical issues, including stress-related conditions such as schizophrenia, anxiety and mood disorders, epileptic syndromes, and metabolic and vascular conditions. The ‘Stress’ theme is continued in another six papers. Two of these cover the roles of key brain areas, the medial prefrontal cortex (McKlveen and colleagues) and the nucleus incertus (Ma and Gundlach). The reviews address the potential role of the medial prefrontal cortex as a coordinator of behavioural and physiological stress responses and, in particular, anticipatory responses, and of the nucleus incertus in arousal and motivational processes. Further cellular and mechanistic approaches focus on the structural remodelling of astrocytes and microglia after stress and the effects of these changes on neurotransmission (Mayhew and colleagues), neuronal responses to osmotic stressors and dendritic release of neuropeptides as a novel interpopulation signal in the paraventricular nucleus (Stern), and feedback regulation of parvocellular neuroen-
docrine cells by glucocorticoids, as well as involvement in stress adaptation (Wamsteeker Cusulin and Bains). The programming effect of early life stress on brain (HPA axis) and behaviour (anxiety, cognitive impairment) is discussed by Brunton. The ‘Obesity/Diabetes’ theme in the Special Issue contains a comprehensive collection of papers with wide-ranging coverage of key research fields from leading international experts. Considering energy balance and obesity, Burke and Heisler examine 5-HT systems as drug targets in obesity and type 2 diabetes, Perello and Dickson collaborate to address the role of ghrelin signalling in food reward, and Mountjoy provides a fresh perspective on the melanocortin system and obesity. With a more metabolic theme, Coppari focuses on hypothalamic regulation of glucose homeostasis, and there are reviews on insulin action in the human brain using contemporary neuroimaging techniques (Kullmann and colleagues), and thyroid hormone in brain development and function, with particular emphasis on astrocytes as key mediators of hormone action (Dezonne and colleagues). Brain development is also addressed in the ‘Neuropeptides’ theme, where Coughlin and Kurrasch assess our current understanding of the role of protocadherins in brain development, and discuss possible roles within the hypothalamus. Prager-Khoutorsky and Bourque review how osmotic stimuli modulate the activity of nonselective cation channels in magnocellular neurosecretory cells in the supraoptic nucleus, whereas D€olen addresses the evidence supporting oxytocin-mediated parallel processing of social behaviours and its relevance to disrupted social function. Comparative neuroendocrinology is represented by reviews on catfish gonadotrophins (Chaube and colleagues) and the evolution of gonadotrophininhibitory hormone in chordates (Osugi and colleagues). We hope that readers of the the Special Issue papers will find these to be a valuable resource, and one that will stimulate further progress in international neuroendocrine research, thereby providing a legacy from ICN2014. The Editorial Board of Journal of Neuroendocrinology is always pleased to hear comments and suggestions from across the neuroendocrine community as we seek to improve our performance as the leading mechanistic journal in the field, and we welcome the input of colleagues from all over the world as we strive to improve further our service to authors and readers. Please feel free to contact the Journal Office or Editor-in-Chief directly. J. Mercer Editor-in-Chief Email: [email protected].
EDITORIAL
© 2015 British Society for Neuroendocrinology
Special Issue of Journal of Neuroendocrinology with Peer-reviewed Articles from the 8th International Congress of Neuroendocrinology Held in Sydney, Australia in August 2014 I am delighted to welcome you to this Special Issue of Journal of Neuroendocrinology, which carries 18 peer-reviewed articles based on invited presentations from the International Congress of Neuroendocrinology (ICN) 2014. The 8th International Congress of Neuroendocrinology was held in Sydney, Australia, in August 2014, jointly and fully integrated with the 18th Annual Meeting of the Society for Behavioural Neuroendocrinology. Supported by the rest of the Regional Organising Committee and the Program Organising Committee, Dave Grattan assembled an excellent programme of plenary talks, symposia, and submitted oral and poster presentations. It was very pleasing that the Journal of Neuroendocrinology and our publishers, Wiley, were again able to put together a significant sponsorship package to support this flagship meeting, and we look forward to our involvement in ICN2018. Subsequent to the Sydney meeting, we have been working with invited speakers, referees and editors in the preparation of review manuscripts covering three of the scientific themes around which the meeting was constructed: ‘Obesity/Diabetes’, ‘Stress’ and ‘Neuropeptides’, as well as the prestigious Mortyn Jones Plenary Lecture, which was delivered by Professor Stafford Lightman, and formed a fitting finale to the congress. The review paper based on the Mortyn Jones lecture addresses the importance of biological oscillators for hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) activity (Russell and colleagues), making the case that pulsatility is a key feature of glucocorticoid secretion and function. A better understanding of the importance of pulsatility for normal physiology should shed light on the consequences of its disruption and the contribution of any disruption to clinical issues, including stress-related conditions such as schizophrenia, anxiety and mood disorders, epileptic syndromes, and metabolic and vascular conditions. The ‘Stress’ theme is continued in another six papers. Two of these cover the roles of key brain areas, the medial prefrontal cortex (McKlveen and colleagues) and the nucleus incertus (Ma and Gundlach). The reviews address the potential role of the medial prefrontal cortex as a coordinator of behavioural and physiological stress responses and, in particular, anticipatory responses, and of the nucleus incertus in arousal and motivational processes. Further cellular and mechanistic approaches focus on the structural remodelling of astrocytes and microglia after stress and the effects of these changes on neurotransmission (Mayhew and colleagues), neuronal responses to osmotic stressors and dendritic release of neuropeptides as a novel interpopulation signal in the paraventricular nucleus (Stern), and feedback regulation of parvocellular neuroen-
docrine cells by glucocorticoids, as well as involvement in stress adaptation (Wamsteeker Cusulin and Bains). The programming effect of early life stress on brain (HPA axis) and behaviour (anxiety, cognitive impairment) is discussed by Brunton. The ‘Obesity/Diabetes’ theme in the Special Issue contains a comprehensive collection of papers with wide-ranging coverage of key research fields from leading international experts. Considering energy balance and obesity, Burke and Heisler examine 5-HT systems as drug targets in obesity and type 2 diabetes, Perello and Dickson collaborate to address the role of ghrelin signalling in food reward, and Mountjoy provides a fresh perspective on the melanocortin system and obesity. With a more metabolic theme, Coppari focuses on hypothalamic regulation of glucose homeostasis, and there are reviews on insulin action in the human brain using contemporary neuroimaging techniques (Kullmann and colleagues), and thyroid hormone in brain development and function, with particular emphasis on astrocytes as key mediators of hormone action (Dezonne and colleagues). Brain development is also addressed in the ‘Neuropeptides’ theme, where Coughlin and Kurrasch assess our current understanding of the role of protocadherins in brain development, and discuss possible roles within the hypothalamus. Prager-Khoutorsky and Bourque review how osmotic stimuli modulate the activity of nonselective cation channels in magnocellular neurosecretory cells in the supraoptic nucleus, whereas D€olen addresses the evidence supporting oxytocin-mediated parallel processing of social behaviours and its relevance to disrupted social function. Comparative neuroendocrinology is represented by reviews on catfish gonadotrophins (Chaube and colleagues) and the evolution of gonadotrophininhibitory hormone in chordates (Osugi and colleagues). We hope that readers of the the Special Issue papers will find these to be a valuable resource, and one that will stimulate further progress in international neuroendocrine research, thereby providing a legacy from ICN2014. The Editorial Board of Journal of Neuroendocrinology is always pleased to hear comments and suggestions from across the neuroendocrine community as we seek to improve our performance as the leading mechanistic journal in the field, and we welcome the input of colleagues from all over the world as we strive to improve further our service to authors and readers. Please feel free to contact the Journal Office or Editor-in-Chief directly. J. Mercer Editor-in-Chief Email: [email protected].
