title: Neural Correlates of the Cortisol Awakening Response in Humans.
abstract: The cortisol rise after awakening (cortisol awakening response, CAR) is a core biomarker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation related to psychosocial stress and stress-related psychiatric disorders. However, the neural regulation of the CAR has not been examined in humans. Here, we studied neural regulation related to the CAR in a sample of 25 healthy human participants using an established psychosocial stress paradigm together with multimodal functional and structural (voxel-based morphometry) magnetic resonance imaging. Across subjects, a smaller CAR was associated with reduced grey matter volume and increased stress-related brain activity in the perigenual ACC, a region which inhibits HPA axis activity during stress that is implicated in risk mechanisms and pathophysiology of stress-related mental diseases. Moreover, functional connectivity between the perigenual ACC and the hypothalamus, the primary controller of HPA axis activity, was associated with the CAR. Our findings provide support for a role of the perigenual ACC in regulating the CAR in humans and may aid future research on the pathophysiology of stress-related illnesses, such as depression, and environmental risk for illnesses such as schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Central Institute for Mental Health, University of Heidelberg/Medical Faculty Mannheim, J5, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boehringer
authors.affiliation: Central Institute for Mental Health, University of Heidelberg/Medical Faculty Mannheim, J5, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Heike
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tost
authors.affiliation: Central Institute for Mental Health, University of Heidelberg/Medical Faculty Mannheim, J5, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Haddad
authors.affiliation: Central Institute for Mental Health, University of Heidelberg/Medical Faculty Mannheim, J5, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lederbogen
authors.affiliation: Central Institute for Mental Health, University of Heidelberg/Medical Faculty Mannheim, J5, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wüst
authors.affiliation: Central Institute for Mental Health, University of Heidelberg/Medical Faculty Mannheim, J5, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Emanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.affiliation: Central Institute for Mental Health, University of Heidelberg/Medical Faculty Mannheim, J5, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meyer-Lindenberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012737:Sex Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen; D006854:Hydrocortisone