Steroid hormones produced by the adrenal cortex, which play a role in carbohydrate metabolism in normal conditions. Stress induces increased levels, which results in an elevation of blood pressure and a suppression of immunological and inflammatory responses. They play a crucial role in the regulation of glucose, and when used in treatment (e.g., asthma, as anti-inflammatories) they can impair glucose transport in both fat and muscle cells (and thus giving type 2 diabetes as well as increasing appetite and weight). They are also implicated in the regulation of memory consolidation processes. Developmentally, they have a range of effects: promotion of lung maturation and surfactant production, and in brain development as well (e.g., terminal maturation, remodeling of axons and dendrites, and cell survival).
See Adrenal cortex, Axon retraction (or pruning), Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), Fetal programming, Hormones, Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis