The Science of Stress: Neuroendocrinology

Stress is a universal phenomenon that impacts adversely on most people. This volume provides a readily accessible compendium that explains the phenomenon of stress, the neural, endocrine and molecular mechanisms involved, the clinical effects, and the impact on individuals and society. Clinical attention focuses on disorders of the stress control system (e.g. Cushing’s Syndrome: Addison’s Disease) and the adverse impact of stress on human physical and mental health . Detailed reviews address disorders such as PTSD, anxiety, major depression, psychoses and related disorders such as combat fatigue and burnout. The work covers interactions between stress and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, as well as stress-immune-inflammatory interactions in relation to cancer and autoimmune and viral diseases. Emphasis is also placed on the role of stress in obesity, hypertension, diabetes type II and other features of the metabolic syndrome which has now reached epidemic proportions in the USA and other countries.

• Chapters offer impressive scope with topics addressing animal studies, disaster, diurnal rhythms, drug effects and treatments, cognition and emotion, physical illness, psychopathology, immunology and inflammation, lab studies and tests, and psychological / biochemical / genetic aspects
• Richly illustrated with over 200 figures, 75 in color
• Priced affordably, this compendium of articles appeals to the end user interested in stress research who would not otherwise purchase the larger Encyclopedia of Stress
• Articles carefully selected by one of the world’s most preeminent stress researchers and contributors represent the most outstanding scholarship in the field, with each chapter providing fully vetted and reliable expert knowledge

George Fink is a Neuroendocrinologist and Neuropharmacologist who has had a major interest in stress since the start of his career. He was recently appointed Vice President and Director of Research of the Pharmos Corporation in Israel and the United States, and is the former Director of the Medical Research Council's Brain Metabolism Unit and honorary professor in the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Dr. Fink has published over 340 neuroendocrine papers and several authoritative books, and is past president of the European Neuroendocrine Association.