Stress, cortisol and memory as markers of serotonergic vulnerability
Wim J Riedel1, Sjacko Sobczak1, Nancy Nicolson1
11Brain & Behaviour Insititue, Dept of Psychiatry & Neuropsychology, Universiteit Maastricht.
Objectives:
In the present paper the association of stress-induced cortisol with memory impairment is discussed Methods: An experiment is described in which an attempt is made to block stress-induced cortisol by lowering 5-HT neurotransmission by means of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD). Forty-five healthy control subjects participated in the experiment.
Results:
Stress-induced peak cortisol and immediate memory performance were negatively associated. ATD tended to block stress-induced cortisol response. ATD also blocked the association between peak cortisol response and memory impairment.
Conclusions:
Stress-induced cortisol and its association with memory impairment is mediated at least partially by serotonin.
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