Ultradian plasma corticotropin and cortisol rhythms: time-series analyses

24-h plasma patterns of ACTH and cortisol were established in 6 subjects who had standard meals and in 4 subjects under continuous enteral nutrition. Temporal relationships between both hormones were analyzed. The individual assay data were subjected to time-series analyses to identify the periods of the oscillations in the plasma levels. The spontaneously occurring cortisol peaks were preceded by increases in ACTH levels, but z-score transformations clearly revealed that ACTH and cortisol were not quantitatively linked throughout the day. Individual subjects' power spectra gave evidence of a predominant periodicity in the oscillations of both hormones. These periodicities varied between individuals. They were 55-140 min for ACTH and 95-180 min for cortisol, indicating that, on occasion, a single cortisol peak may be initiated by two ACTH peaks. Cross spectral analysis of the individual data gave coherence spectra with a large peak which accounted for a substantial concordance of their period length, and cross variance spectra showed a consistent phase relationship between both hormones. These time series analyses applied to the data further support the concept that ACTH is the stimulating factor of cortisol release under basic conditions.