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Neuroendocrine Antagonism

Meaning

This is a physiological state describing the active opposition or counter-regulatory interaction between specific components of the nervous system and the endocrine system, where the action of one system inhibits or counteracts the effect of the other. This antagonism is often a necessary part of a finely tuned homeostatic balance, such as the push-pull relationship between stress and reproductive hormones. However, chronic or pathological antagonism can lead to systemic dysfunction, such as when persistent psychological stress suppresses the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG) axis.