ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes knowledge on the neuroendocrine control of development and reproduction. Insects are amenable to types of experimentation such as ligation, decapitation, brain removal, and the extirpation and insertion of endocrine glands to an extent that is not possible in the vertebrates. A number of in vitro systems have been developed for the culture both of endocrine glands and tissues that respond to their hormones. The four elements of the neuroendocrine system that interact to regulate development are the neurosecretory cells of the brain, the corpora cardiaca, the corpora allata, and the prothoracic glands. The question has been repeatedly raised over the last 25 years whether certain aspects of embryonic development are under a neuroendocrine control similar to that of later stages of development. The data available so far actually point to a link between ecdysteroids and embryonic molting.
