Hormone Treatment of Health Problems

The ultimate goals of hormone studies are to arrive at an understanding of
the physiological basis of behavior and to develop treatments for behavioral abnormalities. Synthetic hormones can be manufactured in the laboratory.
Their mass production could provide solutions to many psychological problems
such as stress, deviant behavior, and sexual dysfunction. Synthetic hormones
already are being used as birth control mechanisms aimed at fooling
the female body’s reproductive hormonal systems.
Ongoing research focuses on the importance of many hormones, especially
on understanding their functions and how they might be used in the
treatment of common disorders. Two hormones produced by the hypothalamus
and released by the posterior pituitary (neurohypophysis) gland are
vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone) and oxytocin. Vasopressin keeps the
kidneys from losing too much water and helps maintain the body’s fluid balance.
Variants of vasopressin which decrease blood pressure, identified by
Maurice Manning, may lead to a new class of drugs to control high blood
pressure. Oxytocin induces labor by causing uterine contractions and also
promotes the production of milk for breastfeeding. Manning and Walter
Chan are working to develop oxytocin receptor antagonists that may be
used to prevent premature births.