Diurnal cortisol amplitude and fronto-limbic activity in response to stressful stimuli.
The development and exacerbation of many psychiatric and neurologic conditions are associated with dysregulation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis as measured by aberrant levels of cortisol secretion. Here we report on the relationship between the amplitude of diurnal cortisol secretion, measured across 3 typical days in 18 healthy individuals, and blood oxygen level dependant (BOLD) response in limbic fear/stress circuits, elicited by in-scanner presentation of emotionally negative stimuli, specifically, images of the World Trade Center (WTC) attack. Results indicate that subjects who secrete a greater amplitude of cortisol diurnally demonstrate less brain activation in limbic regions, including the amygdala and hippocampus/parahippocampus, and hypothalamus during exposure to traumatic WTC-related images. Such initial findings can begin to link our understanding, in humans, of the relationship between the diurnal amplitude of a hormone integral to the stress response, and those neuroanatomical regions that are implicated as both modulating and being modulated by that response.
Cunningham-Bussel
Amy C
AC
Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Box 140, Rm 1302, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, United States. amc2015@med.cornell.edu
Root
James C
JC
Butler
Tracy
T
Tuescher
Oliver
O
Pan
Hong
H
Epstein
Jane
J
Weisholtz
Daniel S
DS
Pavony
Michelle
M
Silverman
Michael E
ME
Goldstein
Martin S
MS
Altemus
Margaret
M
Cloitre
Marylene
M
Ledoux
Joseph
J
McEwen
Bruce
B
Stern
Emily
E
Silbersweig
David
D
D000328:Adult; D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008032:Limbic System / Q000502:physiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time; D047851:September 11 Terrorist Attacks / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*
D006854:Hydrocortisone