Thyroid Hormones in Brain Development and Function

Review
In: Endotext [Internet]. South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com, Inc.; 2000.
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Excerpt

Thyroid hormones are essential for normal brain development. They influence neurogenesis, neuronal and glial cell differentiation and migration, synaptogenesis, and myelination. Thyroid hormone deficiency may severely affect the brain during fetal and postnatal development, causing retarded maturation, intellectual deficits, and neurological impairment. Neural cells express the thyroid hormone nuclear receptors THRA and THRB, which mediate most actions of T3, the active hormone. Brain T3 derives in part from the circulation, and part from type-2 deiodinase-mediated 5’-deiodination of T4 in glial cells. Type 3 deiodinase inactivates T4 and T3 by 5-deiodination in neurons. Membrane transporters facilitate the passage of T4 and T3 across the brain barriers. The main transporters are the monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8) and the organic anion transporter polypeptide 1C1 (OATP1C1). MCT8 facilitates T4 and T3 transport whereas OATP1C1 transports T4 but not T3. T3 regulates the expression of a large number of genes in the brain, mostly during developmental stages, but also in the adult. Rodent models of disease have provided most of our knowledge on thyroid hormone action in the brain. However, species-specific differences in brain maturation and organization make it difficult sometimes to extrapolate the data obtained in rodent models to the human. This review will present a summary of the main concepts developed from rodent studies, with a focus on the human brain.

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Publication types

  • Review