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A Chronic Immobilization Stress Protocol for Inducing Depression-Like Behavior in Mice
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Exogenous glucocorticoids decrease subgenual cingulate activity evoked by sadness.

Keith D Sudheimer1, James L Abelson, Stephan F Taylor

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. ksudheim@stanford.edu

Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
|January 11, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Synthetic cortisol (hydrocortisone, HCT) administration reduced subgenual cingulate activity during sadness in healthy adults. This finding is relevant to major depression pathophysiology, where cortisol signaling is often impaired.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Cortisol, a glucocorticoid hormone, influences brain regions like the amygdala and hippocampus, impacting emotional regulation.
  • Disrupted cortisol regulation is associated with psychiatric disorders characterized by emotional disturbances.
  • Direct neurophysiological effects of cortisol on emotion processing remain under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the direct effects of synthetic cortisol (hydrocortisone, HCT) on brain activity and emotional responses using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
  • To examine the impact of two different HCT dosing regimens on emotional processing in healthy individuals.

Main Methods:

  • A double-blind, placebo-controlled fMRI study was conducted.
  • Healthy participants received either 25 mg/day HCT for 4 days or a single 100 mg HCT dose.
  • Participants viewed emotional (happy, sad, neutral) images during fMRI scanning and reported subjective emotional reactions and mood.

Main Results:

  • Both HCT dosing regimens decreased subgenual cingulate activation during sadness.
  • The 25 mg/day regimen increased arousal ratings for sad stimuli.
  • No significant effects of HCT were observed on mood ratings or responses to non-sad stimuli.

Conclusions:

  • Cortisol administration inhibits subgenual cingulate activity associated with sadness.
  • This inhibitory effect may be relevant to major depression, where subgenual hyperactivity and reduced cortisol sensitivity are observed.