Diurnal cortisol amplitude and fronto-limbic activity in response to stressful stimuli.

Publication Type	Academic Article
Authors	Cunningham-Bussel A, Root J, Butler T, Tuescher O, Pan H, Epstein J, Weisholtz D, Pavony M, Silverman M, Goldstein M, Altemus M, Cloitre M, Ledoux J, McEwen B, Stern E, Silbersweig D
Journal	Psychoneuroendocrinology
Volume	34
Issue	5
Pagination	694-704
Date Published	01/09/2009
ISSN	1873-3360
Keywords	Frontal Lobe, Hydrocortisone, Limbic System, Stress, Psychological
Abstract	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.
DOI	10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.11.011
PubMed ID	19135805
PubMed Central ID	PMC4250041