Psychoneuroendocrinology of Sport and Exercise

Book excerpt: Psychoneuroendocrinology is the study of the interaction between hormones, the brain and human behaviour. This is the first book to examine psychoneuroendocrinology in the context of sport and exercise, offering a comprehensive review of current research and assessment techniques and highlighting directions for future research. The book explores the links between hormones and behaviour, and draws important conclusions for how their study will aid in the understanding of the bidirectional link between sport and behaviour, central to the psychology of sport and exercise. It presents the key hormones that underpin behaviour in a sporting context, including the description of their physiologic mechanisms and behavioural effects. The book reports benchmark standards for the assessment and analysis of hormonal influences of behaviour in sport, and examines practical issues and contexts such as emotional state, overtraining and stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology in Sport and Exercise is a breakthrough text that will be of interest to all advanced students and researchers working in the psychology and physiology of sport and exercise.