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Neuroscience
 
Neuroscience Homepage  > Faculty List > Engeland
William C. Engeland, Ph.D.                 
Professor, Department of Neuroscience
engel002@umn.edu                                                            
Neuroendocrinology of stress.

The focus of the laboratory is to delineate neuroendocrine mechanisms for the control of adrenal secretion of glucocorticoids, the major output of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.   One goal is to define the role of adrenal innervation on the control of glucocorticoid secretion. The secretion of the adrenal cortex is dependent on the pituitary hormone, ACTH. Our work has shown that autonomic neural activity contributes to circadian and stress-induced corticosteroid secretion by modulating steroidogenic responses to ACTH, but the central and peripheral neural pathways involved have not been delineated.

To characterize the central neural substrate for circadian changes in glucocorticoids, a combination of a physiological and neuroanatomical methods are employed; plasma ACTH, vasopressin and adrenal steroids are measured and double-label immunohistochemistry and retrograde labeling are used to define the phenotype of neurons activated as a function of time of day. The hypothesis to be tested is that neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus receive input from the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and project to the spinal cord to provide inhibitory and excitatory input to the adrenal cortex that drives the circadian rhythm.

Other studies are determining the central and peripheral mechanisms that control rapid decreases in glucocorticoids. By active removal of a stressor, rehydration after water restriction or feeding after food restriction are viewed as unique models for assessing processes invoked to reduce stress as reflected by decreases in HPA activity. Using Fos immunohistochemistry coupled with phenotypic labeling, our studies have identified a unique pattern of neural activity in the PVN induced by drinking after repeated water restriction that is not observed after a single episode of water deprivation.  Experiments will incorporate microdialysis with CE-LIF detection to determine neurotransmitters released in the PVN that mediate changes in neural and endocrine responses.  The goal of this work is to identify central neural circuits controlling HPA activity that could be mobilized to reduce the deleterious effects of stress.
Selected Publications
Engeland W.C. and Yoder J.M. (2012)
The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Gets Split: Why Does Cortisol Respond But Not ACTH?
Endocrinology 153(2): 546-8
Abrams J.M., Engeland W.C. and Osborn J.W. (2010)
Effect of intracerebroventricular benzamil on cardiovascular and central autonomic responses to DOCA-salt treatment.
Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol. 299(6): R1500-10
Tran P.V., Georgieff M.K. and Engeland W.C. (2010)
Sodium depletion increases sympathetic neurite outgrowth and expression of a novel TMEM35 gene-derived protein (TUF1) in the rat adrenal zona glomerulosa.
Endocrinology 151(10): 4852-60
Arnhold M.M., Yoder J.M. and Engeland W.C. (2009)
Subdiaphragmatic vagotomy prevents drinking-induced reduction in plasma corticosterone in water-restricted rats.
Endocrinology 150(5): 2300-7
Arnhold M.M., Wotus C. and Engeland W.C. (2007)
Differential regulation of parvocellular neuronal activity in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus following single vs. repeated episodes of water restriction-induced drinking.
Exp. Neurol. 206(1): 126-36
Chlan L.L., Engeland W.C., Anthony A. and Guttormson J. (2007)
Influence of music on the stress response in patients receiving mechanical ventilatory support: a pilot study.
Am. J. Crit. Care 16(2): 141-5
Wotus C., Arnhold, M.M. and Engeland W.C. (2006)
Dehydration-Induced Driniking Results in a Rapid Decrease in FOS Expression in Hypothalmic Paraventricular Neurons Expressing Vasopressin, But Not Corticotropin-releasing Hormone.
Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol. 292(3): R1349-58
Ulrich-Lai Y.M., Engeland W.C. and Arnhold M.M. (2006)
Adrenal splanchnic innervation contributes to the diurnal rhythm of plasma corticosterone in rats by modulating adrenal sensitivity to ACTH.
Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol. 290(4): R1128-35
Engeland W.C. and Arnhold M.M. (2005)
Neural circuitry in the regulation of adrenal corticosterone rhythmicity.
Endocrine 2005 Dec;28(3):325-32. Review
Ennen W.B., Levay-Young B.K. and Engeland W.C. (2005)
Zone-specific cell proliferation during adrenocortical regeneration after enucleation in rats.
Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab. 289(5): E883-91
Engeland W.C., Ennen W.B., Elayaperumal A., Durand D.A. and Levay-Young B.K. (2005)
Zone-specific cell proliferation during compensatory adrenal growth in rats.
Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab. 288(2): E298-306
 
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