title: Hydrocortisone reduces auditory sensitivity at high tonal frequencies in adult males.
abstract: The present study was designed to investigate the effects of treatment with cortisol on auditory tonal detection. College males were given either 20 mg of hydrocortisone or a placebo (dextrose) in a double blind design. Thereafter, thresholds were determined for frequencies of 500, 1,000 and 4,000 Hz using the method of limits. These results were then converted to change scores by using thresholds obtained for the same subjects at the same frequencies prior to treatment. Planned comparisons indicated that treatment with cortisol reduced sensitivity at 4,000 Hz but had no effects at other frequencies. Also, an overall analysis of variance indicated greater right ear improvement and greater improvement at lower frequencies. These findings are explained as resulting from the ability of glucocorticoids to alter cellular metabolism or reduce levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000187:drug effects*; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone