Recent advances in stress research Focus on nitric oxide》.pdf

European Journal of Pharmacology 765 (2015) 406–414 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect European Journal of Pharmacology journal homepage: /locate/ejphar Review Recent advances in stress research: Focus on nitric oxide Kavita Gulati n, Jagdish Chandra Joshi, Arunabha Ray Department of Pharmacology, Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: Stress and stress related disorders are a major cause of morbidity and mortality and understanding stress Received 7 July 2015 mechanisms is of great importance for devising appropriate therapeutic measures in such situations. The Received in revised form brain and its complex neurotransmitter systems regulate physiological and behavioral responses to a 27 August 2015 variety of stressors. Several other factors like age, gender and emotionality of the organism, as well as Accepted 28 August 2015 type, intensity and duration of the stressor may decide the nature and extent of stress effects. Nitric oxide Available online 1 September 2015 (NO) is widely distributed in the brain and its role in Central nervous system (CNS) pathophysiology has Keywords: been suggested. Recent studies have shown that free radicals and in particular NO may play a crucial role Stress