Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2025, Vol. 20 ›› Issue (9): 2520-2537.doi: 10.4103/NRR.NRR-D-24-00355

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Glucocorticoid receptor signaling in the brain and its involvement in cognitive function

Chonglin Su, Taiqi Huang, Meiyu Zhang, Yanyu Zhang, Yan Zeng* , Xingxing Chen*   

  1. Brain Science and Advanced Technology Institute, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Medicine, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
  • Online:2025-09-15 Published:2024-12-27
  • Contact: Xingxing Chen, PhD, chenxingxing80@aliyun.com; Yan Zeng, PhD, zengyan68@wust.edu.cn.
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82371444 (to YZ); the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province, No. 2022CFB216 (to XC); the Key Research Project of Ministry of Science and Technology of China, No. 2022ZD021160 (to YZ).

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Abstract: The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis regulates the secretion of glucocorticoids in response to environmental challenges. In the brain, a nuclear receptor transcription factor, the glucocorticoid receptor, is an important component of the hypothalamic– pituitary–adrenal axis’s negative feedback loop and plays a key role in regulating cognitive equilibrium and neuroplasticity. The glucocorticoid receptor influences cognitive processes, including glutamate neurotransmission, calcium signaling, and the activation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor–mediated pathways, through a combination of genomic and non-genomic mechanisms. Protein interactions within the central nervous system can alter the expression and activity of the glucocorticoid receptor, thereby affecting the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and stress-related cognitive functions. An appropriate level of glucocorticoid receptor expression can improve cognitive function, while excessive glucocorticoid receptors or long-term exposure to glucocorticoids may lead to cognitive impairment. Patients with cognitive impairment–associated diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, aging, depression, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, stroke, and addiction, often present with dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and glucocorticoid receptor expression. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the functions of the glucocorticoid receptor in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and cognitive activities. It emphasizes that appropriate glucocorticoid receptor signaling facilitates learning and memory, while its dysregulation can lead to cognitive impairment. This provides clues about how glucocorticoid receptor signaling can be targeted to overcome cognitive disability-related disorders.

Key words: brain-derived neurotrophic factor,  calcium signaling,  glucocorticoid receptor,   glucocorticoid,  glutamate transmission,  hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis,  long-term potentiation,  neurocognitive disorders,  neuroplasticity,  stress