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Analysis and control of a dynamic model involving hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis

Analysis and control of a dynamic model involving hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis

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Author Name:

Lakshmi. N. Sridhar

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Article Received:

07/07/2025
 
Article Accepted:

03/09/2025
 
Article Published:

04/09/2025

Cite this as :

NS. Analysis and control of a dynamic model involving hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Vis Community Med Public Health Sci.. 2025; 1(1): 001-012

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© 2025 Lakshmi NS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.

Abstract

Abstract :

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis links the nervous and endocrine systems’ functions, which is of vital importance for maintaining homeostasis in mammalian organisms both under normal conditions and during stress. The integration of the nervous and endocrine systems’ functions is very nonlinear and exhibits oscillatory behavior. Bifurcation analysis is a powerful mathematical tool used to deal with the nonlinear dynamics of any process. Several factors must be considered, and multiple objectives must be met simultaneously. Bifurcation analysis and multiobjective nonlinear model predictive control (MNLMPC) calculations are performed on a model of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The MATLAB program MATCONT was used to perform the bifurcation analysis. The MNLMPC calculations were performed using the optimization language PYOMO in conjunction with the state-of-the-art global optimization solvers IPOPT and BARON. The bifurcation analysis identified Hopf bifurcation points, which lead to limit cycles. These Hopf points were eliminated using an activation factor that involves the tanh function. The multiobjective nonlinear model predictive control calculations converge to the Utopia point, which is the best solution.

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Main Article Text

Background

Background

Tsigos et al., [1] investigated neuroendocrine factors and stress factors in Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis problems. Savic and Jelic [2] performed a theoretical study of hypothalamo-pituitary adrenocortical axis dynamics. Jelic et al., [3] mathematically modelled the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal system activity. Lenbury et al., [4] developed a delay-differential equation model of the feedback-controlled hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in humans. Kyrylov et al., [5] modelled the oscillatory behavior of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Savic et al., [6] discussed the stability of a general delay differential model of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical system. Smith et al., [7] studied the role of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in neuroendocrine responses to stress. Gupta et al., [8] showed that the inclusion of the glucocorticoid receptor in a hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis model reveals bistability. Bairagi et al., [9] discussed the variability in the secretion of corticotropin-releasing hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol and understandability of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dynamics. Vinther et al., [10] developed a minimal model of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Jelic et al., [11] discussed the predictive modeling of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function. Markovic et al., [12], performed predictive modeling studies of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to acute and chronic stress. Markovic et al., [13] investigated, the stability of the extended model of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis examined by stoichiometric network analysis. Andersen et al., [14] performed mathematical modeling studies of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal gland (HPA) axis, including hippocampal mechanisms. Postnova et al., [15] developed a minimal physiologically based model of the HPA axis under influence of the sleep-wake cycles. Gudmand-Hoeyer et al., [16] performed a Patient-specific modeling of the neuroendocrine HPA-axis and studied its relation to depression. Hosseinichimeh et al., [17] performed additional modeling the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. Malek et al., [18] discussed the dynamics of the HPA axis and inflammatory cytokines. Markovic et al., [19] investigated the cholesterol effects on the dynamics of the hypothalamic-pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Cupic et al., [20] studied the dynamic transitions in a model of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. Pierre et al., [21] investigated the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in modulating seasonal changes in immunity. Abulseoud et al., [22] demonstrated the existence of corticosterone oscillations during mania induction in the lateral hypothalamic kindled rat-Experimental observations. Stanojevic et al., [23] performed kinetic modelling of testosterone-related differences in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response to stress. Bangsgaard et al., [24] performed patient-specific modelling studies of the HPA axis related to the clinical diagnosis of depression. Kim et al., [25] performed mathematical modeling to improve diagnosis of post-traumatic and related stress disorders by perturbing the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress response system. Stanojevic et al., [26] modelled the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis perturbations by externally induced cholesterol pulses of finite duration and with asymmetrically distributed concentration profiles. Kim LU et al., [27] perturbed the hypothalamic pituitary–adrenal axis and developed a mathematical model for interpreting PTSD assessment tests. Comput Psychiatry 2017, 2: 28-49. Kaslik et al., [28] discussed the stability and demonstrated the existence of Hopf bifurcations for the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis model with memory. The aim of this paper is to (1) perform bifurcation studies on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis model described in Cupic et al., [20], demonstrate the existence of Hopf bifurcations and provide a strategy to eliminate them and (2) to perform multiobjective nonlinear model predictive control calculations on the same hypothalamic-pituitary–adrenal axis model. This document is organized as follows. The model equations for the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis model Cupic et al., [20] is first described. This is followed by a description of the numerical methods (bifurcation analysis and MNLMPC). The results and discussion are then presented, followed by the conclusions.

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