Skip to main content

Long Term Endocrine Adaptation

Meaning

Long Term Endocrine Adaptation describes the sustained, structural, and functional modifications within the neuroendocrine system that occur in response to chronic, persistent metabolic, psychological, or environmental stressors. This adaptation involves enduring changes in glandular secretory capacity, alterations in peripheral receptor density, and permanent resetting of hypothalamic-pituitary feedback loop sensitivity. These shifts represent the body’s attempt to establish a new, albeit often less optimal, state of allostasis.