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Abercrombie HC, Barnes AL, Nord EC, Finley AJ, Higgins ET, Grupe DW, Rosenkranz MA, Davidson RJ, Schaefer SM. Inverse association between stress induced cortisol elevations and negative emotional reactivity to stress in humans. Stress 2023; 26:2174780. [PMID: 36772851 PMCID: PMC9930177 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2023.2174780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Greater cortisol reactivity to stress is often assumed to lead to heightened negative affective reactivity to stress. Conversely, a growing body of evidence demonstrates mood-protective effects of cortisol elevations in the context of acute stress. We administered a laboratory-based stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and measured cortisol and emotional reactivity in 68 adults (48 women) between the ages of 25 and 65. In accordance with our pre-registered hypothesis (https://osf.io/t8r3w) and prior research, negative affective reactivity was inversely related to cortisol reactivity assessed immediately after the stressor. We found that greater cortisol response to acute stress is associated with smaller increases in negative affect, consistent with mood-protective effects of cortisol elevations in response to acute stress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Anna J. Finley
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Healthy Minds
| | - Estelle T. Higgins
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Healthy Minds
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Psychology
| | | | - Melissa A. Rosenkranz
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Healthy Minds
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Psychiatry
| | - Richard J. Davidson
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Healthy Minds
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Psychiatry
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Psychology
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Rivera-Bonet CN, Birn RM, Ladd CO, Meyerand ME, Abercrombie HC. Cortisol effects on brain functional connectivity during emotion processing in women with depression. J Affect Disord 2021; 287:247-254. [PMID: 33799044 PMCID: PMC8128282 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Depression is associated with altered functional connectivity and altered cortisol sensitivity, but the effects of cortisol on functional connectivity in depression are unknown. Previous research shows that brief cortisol augmentation (CORT) has beneficial neurocognitive effects in depression. METHODS We investigated the effects of CORT (20mg oral cortisol) on functional connectivity during emotion processing in women with depression. Participants included 75 women with no depression or a depressive disorder. In a double-blind, crossover study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure effects of CORT vs. placebo on task-based functional connectivity during presentation of emotionally-laden images. We performed psychophysiological interaction (PPI) to test interactions among depression severity, cortisol administration, and task-dependent functional connectivity using the hippocampus and amygdala as seeds. RESULTS During the presentation of negative images, CORT (vs. placebo) increased functional connectivity between the hippocampus and putamen in association with depression severity. During the presentation of positive pictures CORT increased functional connectivity between the hippocampus and middle frontal gyrus as well as superior temporal gyrus in association with depression. LIMITATIONS Because cortisol was pharmacologically manipulated, results cannot be extrapolated to endogenous increases in cortisol levels. The sample did not permit investigation of differences due to race, ethnicity, or sex. Co-morbidities such as anxiety or PTSD were not accounted for. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that CORT has normalizing effects on task-dependent functional connectivity in women with depression during emotion processing. Increasing cortisol availability or signaling may have therapeutic benefits within affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rasmus M Birn
- Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States; Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Charlotte O Ladd
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Mary E Meyerand
- Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States; Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Heather C Abercrombie
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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Palma-Gudiel H, Prather AA, Lin J, Oxendine JD, Guintivano J, Xia K, Rubinow DR, Wolkowitz O, Epel ES, Zannas AS. HPA axis regulation and epigenetic programming of immune-related genes in chronically stressed and non-stressed mid-life women. Brain Behav Immun 2021; 92:49-56. [PMID: 33221485 PMCID: PMC7897273 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation has been associated with altered immune function, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear. Epigenetic processes, including DNA methylation, respond to the glucocorticoid end-products of the HPA axis (cortisol in humans) and could be involved in this neuroendocrine-immune crosstalk. Here we examined the extent to which variations in HPA axis regulation are associated with peripheral blood DNA (CpG) methylation changes in 57 chronically stressed caregivers and 67 control women. DNA methylation was determined with the Illumina 450k array for a panel of genes involved in HPA axis and immune function. HPA axis feedback was assessed with the low-dose dexamethasone suppression test (DST), measuring the extent to which cortisol secretion is suppressed by the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone. After multiple testing correction in the entire cohort, higher post-DST cortisol, reflecting blunted HPA axis negative feedback, but not baseline waking cortisol, was associated with lower DNA methylation at eight TNF and two FKBP5 CpG sites. Caregiver group status was associated with lower methylation at two IL6 CpG sites. Since associations were most robust with TNF methylation (32% of the 450k-covered sites), we further examined functionality of this epigenetic signature in cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 33 participants; intriguingly, lower TNF methylation resulted in higher ex vivo TNF mRNA following immune stimulation. Taken together, our findings link chronic stress and HPA axis regulation with epigenetic signatures at immune-related genes, thereby providing novel insights into how aberrant HPA axis function may contribute to heightened inflammation and disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Palma-Gudiel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Aric A Prather
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, United States
| | - Jue Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, United States
| | - Jake D Oxendine
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jerry Guintivano
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kai Xia
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - David R Rubinow
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Owen Wolkowitz
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, United States
| | - Elissa S Epel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Center for Health and Community, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Anthony S Zannas
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA; Carolina Stress Initiative, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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Szabo YZ, Breeding T, Hejl C, Guleria RS, Nelson SM, Zambrano-Vazquez L. Cortisol as a Biomarker of Alcohol Use in Combat Veterans: A Literature Review and Framework for Future Research. J Dual Diagn 2020; 16:322-335. [PMID: 32493131 PMCID: PMC7483986 DOI: 10.1080/15504263.2020.1771504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Objective: Alcohol use and alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are an increasing concern among veterans, particularly those from recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study of biomarkers in alcohol use and AUD has moved to enhancing the understanding of the development and maintenance of AUDs, as well as investigating its association with clinical severity and potential predictors of treatment response. Cortisol, a glucocorticoid known as a stress hormone, has been linked with both stress and trauma, as well as increased alcohol suppression effects. Method/Results: The present review summarizes existing literature and presents suggestions for future research to evaluate whether cortisol may be a possible biomarker of alcohol use disorder risk in combat veterans. Specifically, aspects of combat deployments and high levels of PTSD, coupled with the stress of reintegration may dysregulate cortisol and increase risk to AUD. There may also be bidirectional impacts, such that alcohol is used as a coping mechanism and can dysregulate hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis functioning and cortisol. Conclusions: In the context of this framework, cortisol may serve as a biomarker for the development of AUD, as well as a biomarker of risk or relapse. This review ends with both theoretical and clinical implications, as well as directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvette Z Szabo
- Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Texas A&M College of Medicine, Bryan, TX, USA.,Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Tessa Breeding
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Christina Hejl
- Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Rakeshwar S Guleria
- Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX, USA.,Institute of Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - Steven M Nelson
- Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.,Center for Vital Longevity, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Laura Zambrano-Vazquez
- Department of Veterans Affairs, VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, Waco, TX, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Texas A&M College of Medicine, Bryan, TX, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
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