Cognitive function and cerebral assessment in patients who have Cushing's syndrome

Glucocorticoids and cognitive function: a walkthrough in endogenous and exogenous alterations

PURPOSE

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis exerts many actions on the central nervous system (CNS) aside from stress regulation. Glucocorticoids (GCs) play an important role in affecting several cognitive functions through the effects on both glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptors (MR). In this review, we aim to unravel the spectrum of cognitive dysfunction secondary to derangement of circulating levels of endogenous and exogenous glucocorticoids.

METHODS

All relevant human prospective and retrospective studies published up to 2022 in PubMed reporting information on HPA disorders, GCs, and cognition were included.

RESULTS

Cognitive impairment is commonly found in GC-related disorders. The main brain areas affected are the hippocampus and pre-frontal cortex, with memory being the most affected domain. Disease duration, circadian rhythm disruption, circulating GCs levels, and unbalanced MR/GR activation are all risk factors for cognitive decline in these patients, albeit with conflicting data among different conditions. Lack of normalization of cognitive dysfunction after treatment is potentially attributable to GC-dependent structural brain alterations, which can persist even after long-term remission.

CONCLUSION

The recognition of cognitive deficits in patients with GC-related disorders is challenging, often delayed, or mistaken. Prompt recognition and treatment of underlying disease may be important to avoid a long-lasting impact on GC-sensitive areas of the brain. However, the resolution of hormonal imbalance is not always followed by complete recovery, suggesting irreversible adverse effects on the CNS, for which there are no specific treatments. Further studies are needed to find the mechanisms involved, which may eventually be targeted for treatment strategies.

Gene expression changes in the brain of a Cushing's syndrome mouse model

Excess glucocorticoid exposure affects emotional and cognitive brain functions. The extreme form, Cushing's syndrome, is adequately modelled in the AdKO_2.0 mouse, consequential to adrenocortical hypertrophy and hypercorticosteronemia. We previously reported that the AdKO_2.0 mouse brain undergoes volumetric changes that resemble closely those of Cushing's syndrome human patients, as well as changes in expression of glial related marker proteins. In the present work, the expression of genes related to glial and neuronal cell populations and functions was assessed in regions of the anterior brain, hippocampus, amygdala and hypothalamus. Glucocorticoid target genes were consistently regulated, including CRH mRNA suppression in the hypothalamus and induction in amygdala and hippocampus, even if glucocorticoid receptor protein was downregulated. Expression of glial genes was also affected in the AdKO_2.0 mouse brain, indicating a different activation status in glial cells. Generic markers for neuronal cell populations, and cellular integrity were only slightly affected. Our findings highlight the vulnerability of glial cell populations to chronic high levels of circulating glucocorticoids.

Younger age and early puberty are associated with cognitive function decline in children with Cushing disease

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of hypercortisolism on the developing brain we performed clinical, cognitive, and psychological evaluation of children with Cushing disease (CD) at diagnosis and 1 year after remission.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective study of 41 children with CD. Children completed diverse sets of cognitive measures before and 1 year after remission. Neuropsychological evaluation included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale, California Verbal Learning Test, Trail Making Test, the combined subset scores of Wide Range Achievement Test and Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery Test of Achievement, and the Behavioral Assessment System for Children.

RESULTS

Comprehensive cognitive evaluations at baseline and 1 year following cure revealed significant decline mostly in nonverbal skills. Decrements occurred in most of the various indices that measure all aspects of cognitive function and younger age and early pubertal stage largely contributed to most of this decline. Results indicated that age at baseline was associated with positive regression weights for changes in scores for verbal, performance, and full intelligence quotient (IQ) scores and for subtests arithmetic, picture completion, coding, block design, scores; indicating that older age at baseline was associated with less of a deterioration in cognitive scores from pre- to posttreatment.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that chronic glucocorticoid excess and accompanying secondary hormonal imbalances followed by eucortisolemia have detrimental effects on cognitive function in the developing brain; younger age and pubertal stage are risk factors for increased vulnerability, while older adolescents have cognitive vulnerabilities like that of adult patients affected with CD.

Incidence, mortality, and cardiovascular diseases in pituitary adenoma in Korea: a nationwide population-based study

PURPOSE

Few nationally representative studies have evaluated the epidemiology of PA (pituitary adenoma). This South Korean study evaluated the incidence of different PA subtypes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and related mortality.

METHODS

This population-based study evaluated 31,898 patients with PA during 2005-2015. The incidence of PA, mortality, and CVD occurrence in PA cases were evaluated during a median follow-up of 5.3 years (range: 0-10 years). Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations between CVD and mortality.

RESULTS

The annual incidences (per 100,000 population) were 3.5 for non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA), 1.6 for prolactinoma (PRL), 0.5 for growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma (GH), and 0.2 for adrenocorticotropic or thyroid-stimulating hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma (ACTH + TSH). The standardized mortality ratios were 1.9 for ACTH + TSH, 1.7 for NFPA with hypopituitarism, 1.4 for NFPA without hypopituitarism, 1.3 for GH, and 1.1 for PRL. During 2005-2015, the overall incidence of CVD among PA patients was 6.6% (2106 cases), and the standardized incidence ratios were 4.1 for hemorrhagic stroke, 3.0 for ischemic stroke, and 1.7 for acute myocardial infarction. The standardized incidence ratios for stroke were significantly higher in the ACTH + TSH and NFPA groups, which also had higher risks of CVD-related mortality, relative to the PRL and GH groups.

CONCLUSION

South Korea had a relatively high incidence of NFPA. The incidence of stroke was highest for ACTH + TSH and NFPA, which was directly related to mortality during long-term follow-up. Patients with these types of PA should receive stroke prevention measures to reduce their risk of mortality.

Neuropsychological Functioning in Patients with Cushing's Disease and Cushing's Syndrome

PURPOSE

To present a systematic review of the presence and severity of neuropsychological impairment in the six main neuropsychological domains (attention, executive function, language, visuospatial processing, intelligence, and memory) in patients with Cushing's disease (CD) and/or Cushing's Syndrome (CS) at various stages of the illness. The work aims to identify neuropsychological leverage points for focused diagnosis and rehabilitation in CS/CD patients.

METHODS

A pubmed literature search was performed and augmented by searching the reference lists of review articles identified by this search strategy. After excluding irrelevant hits, we systematically extracted data from 27 studies for each main neuropsychological domain, differentiating between active disease, short- and long-term remission.

RESULTS

The literature gives evidence for neuropsychological impairment in all domains in Cushing patients with active disease. The most consistent impairments concerned memory and visuo-spatial processing, whereas the data are discordant for all other domains. Significant improvement of neuropsychological function - although not returning to normal in all domains - is shown in short-term and long-term remission of the disease. However, the published literature is thin, suffering from repetitive subsample analyses publishing, methodological concerns as lack of control for confounders such as depression.

CONCLUSIONS

Memory is the most extensively investigated domain in CS/CD patients and impairment is most prominent in active disease. Patients should be counseled that neuropsychological function will improve with normalization of hypercortisolism and over time. More studies with more stringent methodological criteria, larger patient samples and controlling for confounders are required to enhance our understanding of neuropsychological function in patients with CS/CD.

Neuropsychological and Emotional Functioning in Patients with Cushing's Syndrome

Patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS) frequently report impairments in cognitive and emotional functioning. Given neuroimaging research that implicates alterations in structure and function in the brain in this population, goals of this study were to investigate neuropsychological and emotional functioning, with particular emphasis on complex attention and memory. In a clinical sample of 18 adults with CS referred for neuropsychological evaluation (age 41.6 ± 10.6, 72% Caucasian), patients' most common subjective complaints were in attention and increased irritability. On objective testing, patients exhibited significant declines in the consistency of their sustained attention and visual-spatial functioning compared to normative peers. Patients exhibited on average significantly reduced initial learning following first exposure to visual and verbal stimuli but intact retention of information learned. Patients with CS endorsed highly elevated levels of somatization, depression, and anxiety, and 59% of them scored in the clinically elevated range for somatization and depressive symptomatology. Exploratory analyses suggested that the 11 patients with active Cushing's exhibited lower processing speed, poorer sustained attention, naming, and cognitive flexibility compared to the 7 patients who achieved biochemical remission. Patients with active Cushing's also reported higher levels of somatization and anxiety compared to patients in biochemical remission. Overall, this study provides new insights into complex attention and memory deficits in patients with CS and concern regarding cognitive and emotional issues despite resolution of hypercortisolism. Our study opens several avenues for further exploration.

Dynamics of ACTH and Cortisol Secretion and Implications for Disease

The past decade has seen several critical advances in our understanding of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation. Homeostatic physiological circuits need to integrate multiple internal and external stimuli and provide a dynamic output appropriate for the response parameters of their target tissues. The HPA axis is an example of such a homeostatic system. Recent studies have shown that circadian rhythmicity of the major output of this system-the adrenal glucocorticoid hormones corticosterone in rodent and predominately cortisol in man-comprises varying amplitude pulses that exist due to a subhypothalamic pulse generator. Oscillating endogenous glucocorticoid signals interact with regulatory systems within individual parts of the axis including the adrenal gland itself, where a regulatory network can further modify the pulsatile release of hormone. The HPA axis output is in the form of a dynamic oscillating glucocorticoid signal that needs to be decoded at the cellular level. If the pulsatile signal is abolished by the administration of a long-acting synthetic glucocorticoid, the resulting disruption in physiological regulation has the potential to negatively impact many glucocorticoid-dependent bodily systems. Even subtle alterations to the dynamics of the system, during chronic stress or certain disease states, can potentially result in changes in functional output of multiple cells and tissues throughout the body, altering metabolic processes, behavior, affective state, and cognitive function in susceptible individuals. The recent development of a novel chronotherapy, which can deliver both circadian and ultradian patterns, provides great promise for patients on glucocorticoid treatment.

Systemic and Local Corticosteroid Use Is Associated with Reduced Executive Cognition, and Mood and Anxiety Disorders

BACKGROUND

Use of local corticosteroids, especially the inhaled types, has increasingly been associated with systemic uptake and consequent adverse effects. In this study, we assessed the associations between the use of different corticosteroid types with cognitive and neuropsychiatric adverse effects related to high glucocorticoid exposure.

METHODS

In 83,592 adults (mean age 44 years, 59% women) of the general population (Lifelines Cohort Study), we analyzed the relationship between corticosteroid use with executive cognitive functioning (Ruff Figural Fluency Test), and presence of mood and anxiety disorders (Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview survey). We performed additional exploration for effects of physical quality of life (QoL; RAND-36), and inflammation (high-sensitive C-reactive protein [CRP]).

RESULTS

Cognitive scores were lower among corticosteroid users, in particular of systemic and inhaled types, when compared to nonusers. Users of inhaled types showed lower cognitive scores irrespective of physical QoL, psychiatric disorders, and high-sensitive CRP. Overall corticosteroid use was also associated with higher likelihood for mood and anxiety disorders. Users of inhaled corticosteroids were more likely to have mood disorders (OR 1.40 [95% CI 1.19-1.65], p < 0.001) and anxiety disorders (OR 1.19 [95% CI 1.06-1.33], p = 0.002). These findings were independent of physical QoL. A higher likelihood for mood disorders was also found for systemic users whereas nasal and dermal corticosteroid users were more likely to have anxiety disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

Commonly used local corticosteroids, in particular inhaled types, and systemic corticosteroids are associated with reduced executive cognitive functioning and a higher likelihood of mood and anxiety disorders in the general adult population.

Neurocognitive and functional impairment in adult and paediatric tuberculous meningitis

In those who survive tuberculous meningitis (TBM), the long-term outcome is uncertain; individuals may suffer neurocognitive, functional and psychiatric impairment, which may significantly affect their ability to lead their lives as they did prior to their diagnosis of TBM. In children who survive, severe illness has occurred at a crucial timepoint in their development, which can lead to behavioural and cognitive delay. The extent and nature of this impairment is poorly understood, particularly in adults. This is in part due to a lack of observational studies in this area but also inconsistent inclusion of outcome measures which can quantify these deficits in clinical studies. This leads to a paucity of appropriate rehabilitative therapies available for these individuals and their caregivers, as well as burden at a socioeconomic level. In this review, we discuss what is known about neurocognitive impairment in TBM, draw on lessons learnt from other neurological infections and discuss currently available and emerging tools to evaluate function and cognition and their value in TBM. We make recommendations on which measures should be used at what timepoints to assess for impairment, with a view to optimising and standardising assessment of neurocognitive and functional impairment in TBM research.

Why we should still treat by neurosurgery patients with Cushing's disease and a normal or inconclusive pituitary MRI

CONTEXT

In patients with Cushing's disease (CD) and a typical image of adenoma at MRI, transsphenoidal surgery is consensual. However, when MRI is inconclusive or normal, some authors now advocate medical treatment instead. The implicit assumption is that modern MRI should miss only very small microadenomas, too difficult to visualize at surgery.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the evolution with time of the performances of MRI and the outcomes of surgery in CD patients with a typical image of adenoma vs. inconclusive or normal MRI.

METHODS AND PATIENTS

Retrospective single center study of 195 CD patients treated by transsphenoidal surgery between 1992 and 2018, using first a translabial microscopic and then a transnasal endoscopic approach. Patients with inconclusive or normal MRI were explored by bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling (BIPSS). Four MRI groups were defined : microadenomas (n=89), macroadenomas (n=18), or MRI either inconclusive (n=44) or normal (n=44).

RESULTS

The proportion of inconclusive/normal MRI decreased with time, from 60% (21/35) in 1992-96 to 27% (14/51) in 2012-2018 (p=0.037).In the 4 MRI groups, per-operatory adenoma visualization rate was only slightly lower when MRI was normal (95%; 100%; 86%; 79% ; p=0.012) and postoperative remission rates were not different (85%; 94%; 73%; 75 %; p= 0.11).

CONCLUSION

The diagnostic performances of MRI have improved but remain inferior to the eye of an expert neurosurgeon, best assisted by endoscopy. We propose that patients with CD and an inconclusive/normal MRI be still addressed to an expert neurosurgeon for transsphenoidal surgery rather than treated medically.

Reversible Non-parkinsonian Bradykinesia with Impaired Frontal Lobe Function as the Predominant Manifestation of Adrenal Insufficiency

A 69-year-old Japanese man with a history of suprasellar surgery and irradiation developed bradykinesia and mild fatigue without muscle weakness, myalgia, pyramidal or extrapyramidal signs, parkinsonian symptoms, or ataxia. An endocrinological work-up revealed anterior hypopituitarism associated with secondary adrenal insufficiency. Higher brain function tests indicated an impaired frontal lobe function. The patient's bradykinesia, fatigue, and frontal lobe dysfunction improved within 2 weeks after the initiation of corticosteroid replacement therapy. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of adrenal insufficiency manifesting as non-parkinsonian bradykinesia. Physicians should consider reversible non-parkinsonian bradykinesia associated with frontal lobe dysfunction as an unusual manifestation of adrenal insufficiency.

Manic Episodes Due to Medical Illnesses: A Literature Review

The body of evidence for mania as a secondary syndrome due to organic diseases is small. The clinical diagnosis and management of these patients are mainly based on clinical experience and on some case reports. Treatment should be focused on both the underlying medical illness and the control of acute symptoms. Mania due to a medical condition is relevant in the clinical setting, and thus more research is needed to add evidence-based recommendations to the currently available clinical knowledge. In this review, we summarize the latest information on the etiology, epidemiology, diagnostic aspects, and management of secondary mania.

Diagnosis of Cushing's Syndrome in the Modern Era

Four challenges complicate the evaluation for Cushing syndrome. These challenges include increasing global prevalence of obesity and diabetes; increasing use of exogenous glucocorticoids, which cause a Cushing syndrome phenotype; the confusion caused by nonpathologic hypercortisolism not associated with Cushing syndrome, which may present with symptoms consistent with Cushing syndrome; and difficulty identifying pathologic hypercortisolism when it is extremely mild or cyclic or in renal failure, incidental adrenal masses, and pregnancy. Careful choice of screening tests, consideration of confounding conditions, and repeated testing when the results are ambiguous improve the accuracy of diagnosis.

Psychiatric Symptoms in Patients with Cushing's Syndrome: Prevalence, Diagnosis and Management

Cushing's syndrome (CS) results from chronic exposure to cortisol excess, produced by the adrenal cortex. Hypercortisolism predisposes to psychiatric and neurocognitive disorders, mainly to depression and anxiety disorders. Screening tools to identify psychiatric symptoms are available for clinicians in their daily practice, although a specific diagnosis should be performed by specialists. Even if psychiatric symptoms improve after remission of hypercortisolism, complete recovery may not be achieved. Given the burden of these symptoms, psychiatric or psychological monitoring and treatment should be offered through all phases of CS, with a multidisciplinary approach. The aim of this article is to review data on the prevalence, diagnosis and management of psychiatric symptoms seen in patients with CS and to propose therapeutic approaches that may be followed in clinical practice. The prevalence of different psychiatric disorders has been described in both the active phase and after CS remission. Patients may not talk spontaneously about psychiatric symptoms they present, thus clinicians should ask directly about them. We recommend the use of screening tools in clinical practice to detect and treat these symptoms promptly. Even if reference endocrinologists cannot perform a definite psychiatric diagnosis, it will be important to ask patients directly about the presence of symptoms and refer if necessary to a psychiatrist. Additionally, patient information and educational programmes could be useful to manage psychiatric symptoms and to improve quality of life in patients with CS.

White matter involvement on DTI-MRI in Cushing's syndrome relates to mood disturbances and processing speed: a case-control study

PURPOSE

Cushing's syndrome (CS) is an endocrine disorder due to prolonged exposure to cortisol. Recently, microstructural white matter (WM) alterations detected by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have been reported in CS patients, and related to depression, but other functional significances. remain otherwise unclear. We aimed at investigating in more depth mood symptoms in CS patients, and how these relate to cognition (information processing speed), and to WM alterations on DTI.

METHODS

The sample comprised 35 CS patients and 35 healthy controls. Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was used to measure depressive symptoms, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to assess anxiety, and processing speed was measured by the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). DTI studies were acquired using a 3-Tesla Philips-Achieva MR-facility. Voxelwise statistical analysis of fractional anisotropy (FA), mean, axial and radial diffusivities (MD, AD, RD) data were performed using FMRIB Software Library. Correlation analysis were obtained between mood and processing speed variables, and FA, MD, AD and RD values, taking both CS patients and healthy controls.

RESULTS

Active, controlled and cured CS patients showed greater depression (F = 12.4, p < 0.001), anxious state (F = 4.8, p = 0.005) and anxious trait (F = 9.6, p < 0.001) scores, than controls. Using the entire sample, depression scores correlated negatively to FA and positively to RD values. Although there were no differences in processing speed between groups, SDMT scores correlated positively to both FA and AD values.

CONCLUSIONS

There were greater depressive and anxious symptoms in CS patients than in healthy controls, but no difference in processing speed. However, DTI is related to depression and information processing speed in CS.

Depression and Anxiety Scores Are Associated with Amygdala Volume in Cushing's Syndrome: Preliminary Study

Introduction

Cushing's syndrome (CS) has repeatedly been associated with hippocampal volume reductions, while little information is available on the amygdala, another structure rich in glucocorticoid receptors. The aim of the study was to analyze amygdala volume in patients with CS and its relationship with anxiety, depression, and hormone levels.

Material and Methods

39 CS patients (16 active and 23 patients in remission) and 39 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and education level completed anxiety (STAI) and depression tests (BDI-II) and underwent a 3 Tesla brain MRI and endocrine testing. Amygdala volumes were analysed with FreeSurfer software.

Results

Active CS patients had smaller right (but not left) amygdala volumes when compared to controls (P = 0.045). Left amygdala volumes negatively correlated with depression scores (r = −0.692, P = 0.003) and current anxiety state scores (r = −0.617, P = 0.011) in active CS patients and with anxiety trait scores (r = −0.440, P = 0.036) in patients in remission. No correlations were found between current ACTH, urinary free cortisol or blood cortisol levels, and amygdala volumes in either patient group.

Conclusion

Patients with active CS have a smaller right amygdala volume in comparison to controls, while left amygdala volumes are associated with mood state in both patient groups.

Brain metabolite abnormalities in ventromedial prefrontal cortex are related to duration of hypercortisolism and anxiety in patients with Cushing's syndrome

Chronic exposure to excessive glucocorticoid (GC) concentration in Cushing's syndrome (CS) can affect the brain structurally and functionally; ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is rich in GC receptors and therefore particularly vulnerable to excessive GC concentration. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) is a sensitive, non-invasive imaging technique that provides information on brain metabolites in vivo. Our aim was to investigate metabolite concentrations in vmPFC of CS patients and their relationship with clinical outcome. Twenty-two right-handed CS patients (7 active/15 in remission, 19 females, 41.6 ± 12.3 years) and 22 right-handed healthy controls (14 females, 41.7 ± 11 years) underwent brain MRI and (1)H-MRS exams at 3 Tesla. Concentrations of glutamate (Glu), glutamate + glutamine (Glx), creatine (Cr), N-Acetyl-aspartate (NAA), N-Acetyl-aspartate + N-acetylaspartylglutamate (total NAA), choline-containing compounds (Cho) and myoinositol (MI) were determined. Moreover, anxiety and depressive symptoms were evaluated with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) test, respectively. CS patients had lower concentrations of glutamate and total NAA in the vmPFC than healthy controls (8.6 ± 1.2 vs. 9.3 ± 0.7 mmol/L, and 6.4 ± 0.8 vs. 6.8 ± 0.4 mmol/L, respectively; p < 0.05). Duration of hypercortisolism was negatively correlated with total NAA (r = -0.488, p < 0.05). Moreover, the concentration of total NAA was negatively correlated with anxiety state (r = -0.359, p < 0.05). Brain metabolites are abnormal in the vmPFC of patients with CS. Decreased total NAA and glutamate concentrations indicate neuronal dysfunction that appear to be related with duration of hypercortisolism and anxiety.

Long-term cognitive effects of glucocorticoid excess in Cushing's syndrome

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE

We previously found that patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS) scored lower than controls in several domains of cognitive function and that correction of hypercortisolism is not necessarily correlated with short-term improvement in intellectual performance. Here, we examined the long-term outcome in patients treated for CS by assessing the extent to which the detrimental effects of glucocorticoid (GC) excess on cognition can be reversed three years after corrective surgery.

DESIGN

A battery of neuropsychological tests, including tests of attention, visuospatial processing, learning and memory, and executive functioning were administered pre-treatment and 12, 24 and 36 months post-treatment.

PATIENTS AND CONTROL SUBJECTS

We included 18 patients with endogenous CS recruited before surgical treatment and 18 controls matched for age, sex and education.

RESULTS

CS patients performed worse than controls on tests of attention, executive functioning and nonverbal aspects of memory. Moreover, at 36 months following eucortisolism, executive function performance and, to a lesser extent, attention tasks showed limited change compared to pre-treatment testing.

CONCLUSION

Chronic hypercortisolism is accompanied by a deleterious impact on aspects of cognitive function. This negative effect on attention, executive performance and nonverbal memory seen in patients with CS suggests a differential effect of excess GCs upon different brain areas and networks. This influence persists years after the return to normal cortisol secretion levels.

Cardiovascular risk and white matter lesions after endocrine control of Cushing's syndrome

OBJECTIVE

Cushing's syndrome (CS) is associated with high cardiovascular risk. White matter lesions (WML) are common on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with increased cardiovascular risk.

AIM

To investigate the relationship between cardiovascular risk, WML, neuropsychological performance and brain volume in CS.

DESIGN/METHODS

Thirty-eight patients with CS (23 in remission, 15 active) and 38 controls sex-, age- and education-level matched underwent a neuropsychological and clinical evaluation, blood and urine tests and 3Tesla brain MRI. WML were analysed with the Scheltens scale. Ten-year cardiovascular risk (10CVR) and vascular age (VA) were calculated according to an algorithm based on the Framingham heart study.

RESULTS

Patients in remission had a higher degree of WML than controls and active patients (P<0.001 and P=0.008 respectively), which did not correlate with cognitive performance in any group. WML severity positively correlated with diastolic blood pressure (r=0.659, P=0.001) and duration of hypertension (r=0.478, P=0.021) in patients in remission. Both patient groups (active and in remission) had higher 10CVR (P=0.030, P=0.041) and VA than controls (P=0.013, P=0.039). Neither the 10CVR nor the VA correlated with WML, although both negatively correlated with cognitive function and brain volume in patients in remission (P<0.05). Total brain volume and grey matter volume in both CS patient groups were reduced compared to controls (total volume: active P=0.006, in remission P=0.012; grey matter: active P=0.001, in remission P=0.003), with no differences in white matter volume between groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients in remission of Cushing's syndrome (but not active patients) have more severe white matter lesions than controls, positively correlated with diastolic pressure and duration of hypertension. Ten-year cardiovascular risk and vascular age appear to be negatively correlated with the cognitive function and brain volume in patients in remission of Cushing's syndrome.

Chronic stress and brain plasticity: Mechanisms underlying adaptive and maladaptive changes and implications for stress-related CNS disorders

Stress responses entail neuroendocrine, autonomic, and behavioral changes to promote effective coping with real or perceived threats to one's safety. While these responses are critical for the survival of the individual, adverse effects of repeated exposure to stress are widely known to have deleterious effects on health. Thus, a considerable effort in the search for treatments to stress-related CNS disorders necessitates unraveling the brain mechanisms responsible for adaptation under acute conditions and their perturbations following chronic stress exposure. This paper is based upon a symposium from the 2014 International Behavioral Neuroscience Meeting, summarizing some recent advances in understanding the effects of stress on adaptive and maladaptive responses subserved by limbic forebrain networks. An important theme highlighted in this review is that the same networks mediating neuroendocrine, autonomic, and behavioral processes during adaptive coping also comprise targets of the effects of repeated stress exposure in the development of maladaptive states. Where possible, reference is made to the similarity of neurobiological substrates and effects observed following repeated exposure to stress in laboratory animals and the clinical features of stress-related disorders in humans.

Cushing's syndrome

Chronic exposure to excess glucorticoids results in diverse manifestations of Cushing's syndrome, including debilitating morbidities and increased mortality. Genetic and molecular mechanisms responsible for excess cortisol secretion by primary adrenal lesions and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion from corticotroph or ectopic tumours have been identified. New biochemical and imaging diagnostic approaches and progress in surgical and radiotherapy techniques have improved the management of patients. The therapeutic goal is to normalise tissue exposure to cortisol to reverse increased morbidity and mortality. Optimum treatment consisting of selective and complete resection of the causative tumour is necessay to allow eventual normalisation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, maintenance of pituitary function, and avoidance of tumour recurrence. The development of new drugs offers clinicians several choices to treat patients with residual cortisol excess. However, for patients affected by this challenging syndrome, the long-term effects and comorbidities associated with hypercortisolism need ongoing care.

Persistent Comorbidities in Cushing’s Syndrome after Endocrine Cure

It was assumed that resolution of hypercortisolism in Cushing syndrome (CS) was followed by normalization of morbidity; however, in the last decade evidence is accumulating that patients with cured CS still have increased morbidity and mortality after the biochemical control of hypercortisolism. Patients with CS have an increased cardiovascular and metabolic risk and persistent accumulation of central fat, with an unfavorable adipokine profile, not only during the active phase of the disease but also long after biochemical remission. Clinical management should be particularly careful in identifying global cardiovascular risk, as a primary goal during the followup of these patients, aimed at improving global vascular morbidity. Moreover bone mass is reduced not only due to the endogenous hypercortisolism but also due to duration and dose of exogenous glucocorticoid (GC) replacement therapy after surgery. Thus, therapy in operated patients with inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis should be reduced to the lowest dose and duration possible. Specific treatments should be considered in patients with decreased bone mass, aimed at reducing the increased fracture incidence. Finally, cognitive and health related quality of life impairments, described in active disease, are still abnormal after endocrine cure. Thus, residual morbidity persists in cured CS, suggesting irreversibility of GC-induced phenomena, typical of chronic hypercortisolism.

Reversible brain atrophy and cognitive impairment in an adolescent Japanese patient with primary adrenal Cushing's syndrome

Endogenous Cushing's syndrome is an endocrine disease resulting from chronic exposure to excessive glucocorticoids produced in the adrenal cortex. Although the ultimate outcome remains uncertain, functional and morphological brain changes are not uncommon in patients with this syndrome, and generally persist even after resolution of hypercortisolemia. We present an adolescent patient with Cushing's syndrome who exhibited cognitive impairment with brain atrophy. A 19-year-old Japanese male visited a local hospital following 5 days of behavioral abnormalities, such as money wasting or nighttime wandering. He had hypertension and a 1-year history of a rounded face. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed apparently diffuse brain atrophy. Because of high random plasma cortisol levels (28.7 μg/dL) at 10 AM, he was referred to our hospital in August 2011. Endocrinological testing showed adrenocorticotropic hormone-independent hypercortisolemia, and abdominal computed tomography demonstrated a 2.7 cm tumor in the left adrenal gland. The patient underwent left adrenalectomy in September 2011, and the diagnosis of cortisol-secreting adenoma was confirmed histologically. His hypertension and Cushingoid features regressed. Behavioral abnormalities were no longer observed, and he was classified as cured of his cognitive disturbance caused by Cushing's syndrome in February 2012. MRI performed 8 months after surgery revealed reversal of brain atrophy, and his subsequent course has been uneventful. In summary, the young age at onset and the short duration of Cushing's syndrome probably contributed to the rapid recovery of both cognitive dysfunction and brain atrophy in our patient. Cushing's syndrome should be considered as a possible etiological factor in patients with cognitive impairment and brain atrophy that is atypical for their age.

Neuropsychiatric findings in Cushing syndrome and exogenous glucocorticoid administration

This article reviews the neuropsychiatric presentations elicited by spontaneous hypercortisolism and exogenous supraphysiologic glucocorticoids. Patients with Cushing disease and syndrome develop a depressive syndrome: irritable and depressed mood, decreased libido, disrupted sleep and cognitive decrements. Exogenous short-term glucocorticoid administration may elicit a hypomanic syndrome with mood, sleep and cognitive disruptions. Treatment options are discussed. Brain imaging and neuropsychological studies indicate elevated cortisol and other glucocorticoids are especially deleterious to hippocampus and frontal lobe. The research findings also shed light on neuropsychiatric abnormalities in conditions that have substantial subgroups exhibiting elevated and dysregulated cortisol: aging, major depressive disorder and Alzheimer's disease.

Exploring the utility of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment to detect HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder: the challenge and need for culturally valid screening tests in South Africa

There is a strong need in South Africa for neuropsychological tests that can help detect HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) in the country's 5.6 million people living with HIV. Yet South African neuropsychologists are challenged to do so, as few neuropsychological tests or batteries have been developed or adapted for, and normed on, South Africa's linguistically, culturally, educationally, and economically diverse population. The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment to detect HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment among a sample of HIV+ and HIV- Black, Xhosa-speaking South Africans. HIV+ participants performed significantly worse overall and specifically in the domains of visuospatial, executive, attention, and language (confrontation naming). Regression analysis indicated that HIV status and education were the strongest predictors of total scores. Floor effects were observed on cube drawing, rhinoceros naming, serial 7s, and one abstraction item, suggesting those items might not be useful in this population. While the Montreal Cognitive Assessment holds promise to help detect HAND in South Africa, it will likely need modification before it can be normed and validated for this population. Findings from this study may help neuropsychologists working with similar populations.

Advances in the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and management of Cushing's syndrome complications

Cushing's syndrome (CS) is a clinical condition resulting from chronic exposure to glucocorticoid excess. As a consequence, hypercortisolism contributes significantly to the early development of systemic disorders by direct and/or indirect effects. Complications such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypercoagulability cause premature atherosclerosis and increase cardiovascular mortality. Impairment of the skeletal system is a relevant cause of morbidity and disability in these patients especially due to the high prevalence of vertebral fractures. In addition, muscle weakness, emotional lability, depression, and impairment of quality of life are very common. Clinical management of these patients is complex and should be particularly careful in identifying global cardiovascular risks and aim at controlling all complications. Although the primary goal in the prevention and treatment of complications is the correction of hypercortisolism, treatment does not completely eliminate these comorbidities. Given that cardiovascular risk and fracture risk can persist after cure, early detection of each morbidity could prevent the development of irreversible damage. In this review we present the various complications of CS and their pathogenetic mechanisms. We also suggest the clinical management of these patients based on our extensive clinical experience and on the available literature.

Mortality in Cushing's syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

CONTEXT

Data on mortality associated with Cushing's disease (CD) and Cushing's syndrome (CS) are scarce.

OBJECTIVE

To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of mortality studies in patients with CD and CS secondary to a benign adrenal adenoma.

DATA SOURCES

A search was performed in seven electronic databases. Sixty-six articles were retrieved for analysis and 7 included in the final study. The main outcome measure was standardized mortality ratio (SMR).

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, PARTICIPANTS, AND INTERVENTIONS

Studies reporting SMR for patients diagnosed with CD and/or CS. Outcomes were stratified by subtype of Cushing's syndrome.

STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS

Studies were appraised by two authors and were synthesized using a weighted estimate based on the standard error of the SMR.

RESULTS

The weighted mean of SMR for patients with CD was 1.84 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28-2.65). CD patients with persistent disease after initial surgery had a SMR of 3.73 (95% CI: 2.31-6.01), whereas mortality of CD patients with initial remission did not differ significantly from the general population (SMR: 1.23 (95% CI: 0.51-2.97)). SMR for patients with a benign adrenal adenoma was 1.90 (95% CI: 0.93-3.91). Age, sex and observation time did not significantly impact mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

CD as opposed to CS due to a benign adrenal adenoma is associated with an excess mortality, which is attributed to patients in whom initial surgical cure is not obtained. This underlines the importance of a rigorous and early follow-up of newly operated patients with CD.

Emotional memory in early steroid abnormalities: an FMRI study of adolescents with congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Hormonal imbalances during development may have long-lasting effects. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we compared 14 youths with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), a genetic disorder of hormonal dysfunction, with 22 healthy controls on memory encoding of emotional faces. Patients remembered fewer faces than controls, particularly fearful faces. FMRI data to successfully encoded fearful faces revealed that males with CAH showed significant activations in amygdala, hippocampus, and anterior cingulate relative to unaffected males, while females with CAH demonstrated deactivations relative to unaffected females in these regions. Findings indicate that steroid abnormalities during development can have important effects on neural correlates of emotional memory.

Normal intelligence in female and male patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia

We provide evidence regarding the nature, causes, and consequences of intelligence in patients with 21-hydroxylase deficient congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). Intelligence and quality of life (psychological adjustment) were measured on multiple occasions from childhood to young adulthood in 104 patients with CAH (62 females, 42 males) and 88 unaffected relatives (31 females, 57 males). Information on disease severity (CAH type, age at diagnosis, genital virilization for girls) and salt-wasting crises was obtained from medical records. There was no evidence of intellectual deficit in either female or male patients with CAH. Intelligence was not significantly associated with psychological adjustment or disease characteristics. CAH itself does not appear to increase risk for poor intellectual function. In a sample of patients with generally good disease control, intelligence is not related to adjustment problems, disease severity, or salt-wasting crises.

Psychosomatic aspects of Cushing's syndrome

There has been growing interest in the psychosocial aspects of Cushing's syndrome, such as the role of life stress as a pathogenetic factor, the association with affective disorders, and the presence of residual symptoms after treatment. Interestingly, a temporal relationship between stressful life events and disease onset is relevant only to pituitary-dependent Cushing's disease, and not to the pituitary-independent forms. A number of psychiatric and psychological disturbances may be associated with the active hypercortisolemic state, regardless of its etiology. Within the high frequency of mood disorders (about 60%), major depression is the most common complication. Other psychopathological aspects include mania, anxiety disorders, psychological symptoms (demoralization, irritable mood, somatization) and cognitive impairment. Cognitive symptoms are associated with brain abnormalities (mainly loss of brain volume). Quality of life may be seriously compromised during both active and post-treatment phases. Long-standing hypercortisolism may imply a degree of irreversibility of the pathological process. Recovery, thus, may be delayed and be influenced by highly individualized affective responses. Outcomes of Cushing's syndrome treatment are not fully satisfactory. Within its great complexity, a conceptual shift from a merely biomedical care to a psychosomatic consideration of the person and his/her quality of life appears to be necessary to improve effectiveness. It is time to translate the research evidence that has accumulated into clinical practice initiatives. To patients who show persistence or even worsening of psychological distress upon adequate endocrine treatment psychiatric/psychological interventions should be readily available. Applying interdisciplinary expertise and addressing the needs for rehabilitation would markedly improve final outcome.

Subtle cognitive impairments in patients with long-term cure of Cushing's disease

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE

Active Cushing's disease is associated with cognitive impairments. We hypothesized that previous hypercortisolism in patients with Cushing's disease results in irreversible impairments in cognitive functioning. Therefore, our aim was to assess cognitive functioning after long-term cure of Cushing's disease.

DESIGN

Cognitive assessment consisted of 11 tests, which evaluated global cognitive functioning, memory, and executive functioning.

PATIENTS AND CONTROL SUBJECTS

We included 74 patients cured of Cushing's disease and 74 controls matched for age, gender, and education. Furthermore, we included 54 patients previously treated for nonfunctioning pituitary macroadenomas (NFMA) and 54 controls matched for age, gender, and education.

RESULTS

Compared with NFMA patients, patients cured from Cushing's disease had lower scores on the Mini Mental State Examination (P = 0.001), and on the memory quotient of the Wechsler Memory Scale (P = 0.050). Furthermore, patients cured from Cushing's disease tended to recall fewer words on the imprinting (P = 0.013), immediate recall (P = 0.012), and delayed recall (P = 0.003) trials of the Verbal Learning Test of Rey. On the Rey Complex Figure Test, patients cured from Cushing's disease had lower scores on both trials (P = 0.002 and P = 0.007) compared with NFMA patients. Patients cured from Cushing's disease also made fewer correct substitutions on the Letter-Digit Substitution Test (P = 0.039) and came up with fewer correct patterns on the Figure Fluency Test (P = 0.003) compared with treated NFMA patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Cognitive function, reflecting memory and executive functions, is impaired in patients despite long-term cure of Cushing's disease. These observations indicate irreversible effects of previous hypercortisolism on cognitive function and, thus, on the central nervous system. These observations may also be of relevance for patients treated with high-dose exogenous glucocorticoids.

The diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome

Spontaneous Cushing's syndrome is well known but unusual clinical disorder. Many of the clinical features (central weight gain, glucose intolerance, hypertension, muscle weakness) are seen in other common conditions. Recognition of patients with multiple features, features unusual for their age (i.e. early onset osteoporosis or hypertension), patients with features more specific to Cushing's syndrome (i.e. easy bruising, facial plethora, and violaceous striae), and patients with incidental adrenal mass or polycystic ovary syndrome should prompt an evaluation for cortisol excess. Late-night salivary cortisol, 1 mg overnight dexamethasone suppression testing, or 24 h urine free cortisol determination have excellent diagnostic characteristics and should be obtain in patients with suspected Cushing' syndrome. If this initial testing is abnormal, further evaluation should be directed by an endocrinologist experienced in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of Cushing' syndrome.

Endotoxemia-induced inflammation and the effect on the human brain

INTRODUCTION

Effects of systemic inflammation on cerebral function are not clear, as both inflammation-induced encephalopathy as well as stress-hormone mediated alertness have been described.

METHODS

Experimental endotoxemia (2 ng/kg Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) was induced in 15 subjects, whereas 10 served as controls. Cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL1-RA and IL-10), cortisol, brain specific proteins (BSP), electroencephalography (EEG) and cognitive function tests (CFTs) were determined.

RESULTS

Following LPS infusion, circulating pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and cortisol increased (P < 0.0001). BSP changes stayed within the normal range, in which neuron specific enolase (NSE) and S100-beta changed significantly. Except in one subject with a mild encephalopathic episode, without cognitive dysfunction, endotoxemia induced no clinically relevant EEG changes. Quantitative EEG analysis showed a higher state of alertness detected by changes in the central region, and peak frequency in the occipital region. Improved CFTs during endotoxemia was found to be due to a practice effect as CFTs improved to the same extent in the reference group. Cortisol significantly correlated with a higher state of alertness detected on the EEG. Increased IL-10 and the decreased NSE both correlated with improvement of working memory and with psychomotor speed capacity. No other significant correlations between cytokines, cortisol, EEG, CFT and BSP were found.

CONCLUSIONS

Short-term systemic inflammation does not provoke or explain the occurrence of septic encephalopathy, but primarily results in an inflammation-mediated increase in cortisol and alertness.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT00513110.

Quality of life in children and adolescents 1-year after cure of Cushing syndrome: a prospective study

OBJECTIVE

Cushing syndrome (CS) in children is associated with symptoms that may impair health related quality of life (HRQL). There are no prospective reports of HRQL in children with CS.

METHODS

Prospective study of 40 children (mean age 13 +/- 3.2 years) with CS evaluated prior to and 1-year post-treatment. The Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ) was used to assess HRQL; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WASI) was used to assess cognitive function, and patient-reported symptoms were assessed with a CS symptom checklist.

RESULTS

Active CS was associated with low physical and psychosocial summary scores compared to US population data (P < 0.001). Despite improvement from pre- to 1-year postcure, residual impairment remained in physical summary and function, and role-physical, global health and emotional impact (parent) scores. Incomplete recovery of adrenal function at 1-year post-treatment was associated with impaired scores. WASI IQ scores declined and a correlation was noted between age at first evaluation and IQ score changes. Most self-reported CS symptoms showed improvement, but forgetfulness, unclear thinking and decreased attention span did not improve after cure of CS.

CONCLUSION

CS in children and adolescents is associated with impaired HRQL, with residual impairment 1 year after cure. Our results also suggest that younger children are more likely to experience negative changes in cognitive function. HRQL is an important outcome measure in children and adolescents with CS and identification of factors that contribute to HRQL may help to diminish the physical and psychological burden of disease in this population of patients.

Chronic glucocorticoid hypersecretion in Cushing's syndrome exacerbates cognitive aging

Cumulative exposure to glucocorticoid hormones (GC) over the lifespan has been associated with cognitive impairment and may contribute to physical and cognitive degeneration in aging. The objective of the present study was to examine whether the pattern of cognitive deficits in patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS), a disorder characterized by chronic exposure to elevated levels of glucocorticoids (GC), is similar to that observed in older individuals. Ten subjects with CS were compared to sex-, age-, and education-matched healthy controls and older subjects (age of CS subjects+15 yr). All participants were administered tests to assess attention, visuospatial processing, learning and memory, reasoning, concept formation and verbal fluency. MANCOVAs with depression scores as covariate and polynomial contrasts revealed that the age-matched control group performed better than the CS and older subject groups in visual target detection, trail making test, stroop task, digit symbol substitution, block design, object assembly, visual reproduction, spatial memory and similarities. The CS and older subjects performed similarly on these tasks. Further, a principal component analysis revealed two significant factors, representing general cognitive function and verbal memory explaining 39.9% and 10.0% of the variance, respectively. Additional MANCOVAs with depression as a covariate revealed that CS and older control subjects showed impaired performance on general cognitive function compared to age-matched controls. These results suggest that hypersecretion of GCs has "aging-like" effects on cognitive performance in individuals with CS.

Pituitary-directed medical treatment of Cushing's disease

The treatment of Cushing's disease is very complex and represents a challenge for clinicians. Transphenoidal surgical excision of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenoma remains the treatment of choice but, unfortunately, the rate of cure at long-term follow-up is suboptimal and recurrences are high, even in the hands of skilled neurosurgeons. Other treatment options, such as bilateral adrenalectomy and pituitary radiotherapy, are currently in use but no treatment has proven fully satisfactory during the lengthy progress of this chronic and devastating disease. Nelson's syndrome and hypopituitarism are of particular concern as affected patients need lifelong hormone-replacement therapy and have notably increased mortality. Although medical treatment represents a second-line treatment option in patients with Cushing's disease, so far pharmacological therapy has been considered a transient and palliative treatment. Many drugs have been employed: they may act at the hypothalamic-pituitary level, decreasing ACTH secretion; at the adrenal level, inhibiting cortisol synthesis (steroidogenesis inhibitors); or at the peripheral level by competing with cortisol (glucocorticoid receptor antagonists). Recently, there has been renewed interest in the medical therapy of Cushing's disease and pituitary-directed drugs include old compounds commercially available for other diseases, such as cabergoline, and new promising compounds, such as pasireotide (SOM230) or retinoic acid. This review focuses on the tumor-directed pharmacological approaches for the management of Cushing's disease based on the recent identification of possibile targets at a pituitary level.

Cushing's syndrome: aftermath of the cure

Cushing's syndrome (CS) is a chronic and systemic disease caused by endogenous or exogenous hypercortisolism, associated with an increase of mortality rate due to the clinical consequences of glucocorticoid excess, especially cardiovascular diseases. After cure, usually obtained by the surgical removal of the tumor responsible for the disease, the normalization of cortisol secretion is not constantly followed by the recovery of the clinical complications developed during the active disease, and it is often followed by the development of novel clinical manifestations induced by the fall of cortisol levels. These evidences were mostly documented in patients with pituitary-dependent CS, after surgical resection of the pituitary tumor. Indeed, despite an improvement of the mortality rate, metabolic syndrome and the consequent cardiovascular risk have been found to partially persist after disease remission, strictly correlated to the insulin resistance. Skeletal diseases, mainly osteoporosis, improve after normalization of cortisol levels but require a long period of time or the use of specific treatment, mainly bisphosphonates, to reach the normalization of bone mass. A relevant improvement or resolution of mental disturbances has been described in patients cured from CS, although in several cases, cognitive decline persisted and psychological or psychiatric improvement was erratic, delayed, or incomplete. On the other hand, development or exacerbation of autoimmune disorders, mainly thyroid autoimmune diseases, was documented in predisposed patients with CS after disease remission. The totality of these complications persisting or occurring after successful treatment contribute to the impairment of quality of life registered in patients with CS after disease cure.

Early-life events. Effects on aging

During the last two decades, a considerable body of evidence has emerged showing that circumstances during the fetal period and childhood may have lifelong programming effects on different body functions with a considerable impact on disease susceptibility. From a medical point of view, these long-term effects are today referred to as the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) concept. The DOHaD concept may have a fundamental impact on our ideas about when and how to intervene in order to prevent aging-related loss of function and disease. The aim of this review is to provide a synopsis of epidemiological findings relating early-life conditions with key aging-related disorders, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, cognitive impairments and osteoporosis. There are several mechanisms that have been suggested as linking early-life events with late-life disease. This review will discuss programming of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function as one of the best characterised examples of such mechanisms.

Altered amygdala and hippocampus function in adolescents with hypercortisolemia: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study of Cushing syndrome

Chronic elevations of endogenous cortisol levels have been shown to alter medial temporal cortical structures and to be accompanied by declarative memory impairments and depressive symptoms in human adults. These effects of elevated endogenous levels of cortisol have not been directly studied in adolescents. Because adolescents with Cushing syndrome show endogenous elevations in cortisol, they represent a unique natural model to study the effects of prolonged hypercortisolemia on brain function, and memory and affective processes during this developmental stage. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we compared 12 adolescents with Cushing syndrome with 22 healthy control adolescents on amygdala and anterior hippocampus activation during an emotional faces encoding task. None of these adolescents manifested depressive symptoms. Encoding success was assessed using a memory recognition test performed after the scan. The fMRI analyses followed an event-related design and were conducted using the SPM99 platform. Compared to healthy adolescents, patients with Cushing syndrome showed greater left amygdala and right anterior hippocampus activation during successful face encoding. Memory performance for faces recognition did not differ between groups. This first study of cerebral function in adolescents with chronic endogenous hypercortisolemia due to Cushing syndrome demonstrates the presence of functional alterations in amygdala and hippocampus, which are not associated with affective or memory impairments. Such findings need to be followed by work examining the role of age and related brain maturational stage on these effects, as well as the identification of possible protective factors conferring resilience to affective and cognitive consequences in this disease and/or during this stage of cerebral development.

Chronic stress-induced hippocampal vulnerability: the glucocorticoid vulnerability hypothesis

The hippocampus, a limbic structure important in learning and memory, is particularly sensitive to chronic stress and to glucocorticoids. While glucocorticoids are essential for an effective stress response, their oversecretion was originally hypothesized to contribute to age-related hippocampal degeneration. However, conflicting findings were reported on whether prolonged exposure to elevated glucocorticoids endangered the hippocampus and whether the primate hippocampus even responded to glucocorticoids as the rodent hippocampus did. This review discusses the seemingly inconsistent findings about the effects of elevated and prolonged glucocorticoids on hippocampal health and proposes that a chronic stress history, which includes repeated elevation of glucocorticoids, may make the hippocampus vulnerable to potential injury. Studies are described to show that chronic stress or prolonged exposure to glucocorticoids can compromise the hippocampus by producing dendritic retraction, a reversible form of plasticity that includes dendritic restructuring without irreversible cell death. Conditions that produce dendritic retraction are hypothesized to make the hippocampus vulnerable to neurotoxic or metabolic challenges. Of particular interest is the finding that the hippocampus can recover from dendritic retraction without any noticeable cell loss. When conditions surrounding dendritic retraction are present, the potential for harm is increased because dendritic retraction may persist for weeks, months or even years, thereby broadening the window of time during which the hippocampus is vulnerable to harm, called the 'glucocorticoid vulnerability hypothesis'. The relevance of these findings is discussed with regard to conditions exhibiting parallels in hippocampal plasticity, including Cushing's disease, major depressive disorder (MDD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Advances in medical treatment of Cushing's disease

It is well known that transphenoidal surgery is the first line of treatment for Cushing's disease (CD). In case of recurrence, pituitary irradiation or adrenalectomy are usually performed; however, the morbidity due to these procedures is not negligible. For this reason, there is still a strong need for medical therapy, although there are only a few controlled data on this field. A variety of compounds are invaluable complementary tools in the management of this serious condition for which no treatment has yet been proven fully satisfactory. Pharmacological treatment could be employed by using neuromodulatory drugs (i.e., serotonin antagonists, dopamine, and GABA agonists) active only in a few cases of hypothalamic-pituitary-dependent CD. New approaches at the pituitary tumor level involve the potential use of other compounds (e.g., PPAR-γ agonists and retinoic acid). Exciting news in treating CD includes the recent availability of new multiligand somatostatin analogues. This review focuses on the new potential pharmacologic approaches for the management of CD based on the recent identification of possible targets and/or pathogenetic mechanisms.

Cushing's Syndrome: important issues in diagnosis and management

CONTEXT

The diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of Cushing's syndrome are challenging problems in clinical endocrinology. We focus on critical questions addressing screening for Cushing's syndrome, differentiation of Cushing's subtypes, and treatment options.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

Ovid's MEDLINE (1996 through April 2006) was used to search the general literature. We also relied on previously published reviews and a recent monograph and cite a mix of primary articles and recent reviews.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Although this article represents our opinion, it draws heavily on a recent consensus statement from experts in the field and a recent monograph on Cushing's syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS

We concluded that: 1) measurement of late-night or bedtime salivary cortisol is a useful approach to screen for Cushing's syndrome; 2) measurement of suppressed plasma ACTH by immunometric assay is useful to differentiate ACTH-dependent and -independent Cushing's syndrome; 3) inferior petrosal sinus sampling for ACTH should be performed in patients with ACTH-dependent hypercortisolism in whom a pituitary magnetic resonance imaging is normal or equivocal (in the absence of a pituitary ACTH gradient, prolactin levels should be measured to confirm the integrity of venous sampling); 4) computed tomography of the chest and abdomen and somatostatin receptor scintigraphy should be performed in patients with the occult ectopic ACTH syndrome; and 5) patients with Cushing's disease should be referred to a neurosurgeon with extensive experience operating on corticotroph microadenomas. Bilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy should be considered in patients with Cushing's disease who fail therapies directed at the pituitary.