High and low neuroticism predict different cortisol responses to the combined dexamethasone--CRH test
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 9, 2026

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
1University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK.
Background:
Depression and posttraumatic stress disorder are both associated with altered function of the hypothalamic--pituitary--adrenal axis. Neuroticism is a strong predisposing factor for depression and probably also a risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder. This study investigated whether young adults with high and low neuroticism scores show differences in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation that might relate to their differential vulnerability to psychopathology.
Methods:
Neuroticism was measured with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire in 258 students aged 18--25. Fourteen scoring in each of the upper and lower quartiles of the neuroticism distribution according to gender participated in a combined dexamethasone-corticotropin-releasing hormone test.
Results:
Low-neuroticism individuals showed a significantly greater cortisol response than high-neuroticism individuals.
Conclusions:
The mechanism of this effect remains to be elucidated. High-neuroticism subjects may have a downregulated hypothalamic--pituitary--adrenal axis to prevent harmful overactivation. This is the first demonstration of a difference in hypothalamic--pituitary--adrenal axis regulation associated with neuroticism.
Related Concept Videos
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
Cushing Syndrome II: Pathophysiology
Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle
Cushing Syndrome I: Introduction
Physiological Foundation of Stress
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...
Hormones of the Adrenal Glands
The adrenal cortex, a powerhouse of hormone synthesis, generates over two dozen corticosteroid hormones. The zona glomerulosa produces mineralocorticoids, exemplified by aldosterone, influencing the electrolyte composition of body fluids. The synthesis of glucocorticoids such as cortisol and corticosterone...

