Principles of Hormone/Behavior Relations

Section I: Characterizing the Phenomena: Hormone Effects are Strong and Reliable
1. Hormones Can Both Facilitate and Repress Behavioral Responses
2. One Hormone Can have Many Effects: A Single Hormone Can Affect Complex Behaviors
3. Hormone Combinations Can be Important for Influencing an Individual Behavior
4. Hormone Metabolites Can be the Behaviorally Active Compounds
5. There are Optimal Hormone Concentrations: Too Much or Too Little Can be Damaging
6. Hormones Do Not ‘‘Cause’’ Behavior; They Alter Probabilities of Responses to Given Stimuli

Section II: History: Hormone Effects Can Depend on Family, Gender, and Development
7. Familial/Genetic Dispositions to Hormone Responsiveness Can Influence Behavior
8. The Sex of the Recipient can Influence the Behavioral Response
9. Hormone Actions Early in Development Can Influence Hormone Responsiveness in the CNS During Adulthood
10. Puberty Alters Hormone Secretion and Hormone Responsivity and Heralds Sex Differences
11. Changes in Hormone Levels and Responsiveness During Aging Affect Behavior

Section III: Time: Hormonal Effects on Behavior Depend on Temporal Parameters
12. Duration of Hormone Exposure Can Make a Big Difference: In Some Cases Longer is Better; In Other Cases Brief Pulses are Optimal for Behavioral Effects
13. Hormonal Secretions and Responses are Affected by Biological Clocks

Section IV: Space: Spatial Aspects of Hormone Administration and Impact are Important
14. Effects of a Given Hormone Can be Widespread Across the Body; Central Effects Consonant with Peripheral Effects Form Coordinated, Unified Mechanisms
15. Hormones Can Act at All Levels of the Neuraxis to Exert Behavioral Effects; The Nature of the Behavioral Effect Depends on the Site of Action

Section V: Mechanisms: Molecular and Biophysical Mechanisms of Hormone Actions Give Clues to Future Therapeutic Strategies
16. In Responsive Neurons, Rapid hormone Effects Can Facilitate Later Genomic Actions
17. Gene Duplication and Splicing Products for Hormone Receptors in the CNS Often Have Different Behavioral Effects
18. Hormone Receptors and Other Nuclear Proteins Influence Hormone Responsiveness

Section VI: Environment: Environmental Variables Influence Hormone/Behavior Relations
19. Hormone Effects on Behavior Depend Upon Context
20. Behavioral/Environmental Context also Alters Hormone Release

Section VII: Evolution
21. Neuroendocrine Mechanisms Have Been Conserved to Provide Biologically Adaptive Body/Brain/Behavior Coordination