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Related Experiment Videos

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in elderly endurance athletes.

I J Heuser1, H J Wark, J Keul

  • 1Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Clinical Institute, Munich, Germany.

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
|September 1, 1991
PubMed
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Repeated high cortisol levels, like those from stress, alter the body's stress hormone regulation. Endurance athletes showed heightened cortisol responses, similar to depressed patients, indicating past stress impacts the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Stress Physiology

Background:

  • The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulates the body's response to stress.
  • Repeated exposure to stress can lead to sustained high cortisol levels (hypercortisolemia).
  • The long-term effects of hypercortisolemia on HPA axis regulation are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of repeated hypercortisolemia on HPA axis regulation.
  • To compare HPA axis responses in elderly endurance athletes and sedentary controls.
  • To explore potential mechanisms underlying observed HPA axis alterations.

Main Methods:

  • Plasma ACTH and cortisol (CORT) responses to human CRH (hCRH) were measured.
  • Participants included elderly endurance athletes and age-matched sedentary controls.

Related Experiment Videos

  • A dexamethasone suppression test was employed prior to hCRH challenge.

    • Main Results:

    • Basal ACTH and CORT levels did not differ between groups.
    • Endurance athletes exhibited significantly increased CORT responses to hCRH.
    • ACTH responses to hCRH tended to be higher in athletes, similar to previously studied depressed patients.

    Conclusions:

    • Previous stressful events associated with hypercortisolemia influence HPA axis physiology.
    • Alterations may involve decreased sensitivity to negative feedback or enhanced ACTH secretagogue co-secretion.
    • HPA axis regulation appears adaptable based on prior stressful experiences, irrespective of cause.