Neuroendocrinology: Brain-Endocrine Interactions, Stress Physiology, and Chronobiology

This chapter explores the bidirectional crosstalk between the central nervous system and peripheral endocrine organs, covering the neurobiology of the stress response, the role of the circadian clock in hormonal rhythmicity, and the emerging field of neurohormonal dysregulation in psychiatric and metabolic disease. Recent research on glucocorticoid signaling in the brain, the impact of sleep disruption on endocrine axes, and the neuroendocrine basis of burnout and allostatic overload is reviewed. The chapter also addresses translational implications for conditions including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and shift-work metabolic syndrome.