POMC and hippocampal atrophy: For explanation of this preventive, against chronic stress-induced cognitive impairment, action of candesartan blockade to most if not all of the adverse effects of excessive AT1 receptor signalling including overexpression of the AT1 receptors in PVN (Saavedra et al. 2006), decreased production of CRH by parvocellular part of PVN and increased pituitary ACTH content causing increased adrenal corticosterone production (Armando et al. 2001, 2007; Baiardi et al. 2004) leading, among other effects, to hippocampal atrophy (Herbert et al. 2006; McLaughlin et al. 2007) appears most probable.