PubMed · 13238923
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J CLOSON, H E BETZ, H VAN CAUWENBERGE. 1955. Cortisone, ACTH and thyroid function in rats.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13238923/
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Data from five independent studies were reanalyzed in order to investigate the impact of age and gender on HPA axis responses to an acute psychosocial laboratory stress task. The total sample consisted of 102 healthy subjects with 30 older adults (mean age: 67.3 y), 41 young adults (mean age: 23.5 y), and 31 children (mean age: 12.1 y). All participants were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). The stress protocol caused highly significant ACTH and total plasma cortisol responses in older and younger male and female adults (all p<0.0001) as well as salivary free cortisol responses in all six age and gender groups (all p<0.0001). Three-way ANOVAs for repeated measurement were applied to investigate the impact of age and gender on ACTH and cortisol responses. Results showed that the ACTH response to stress was higher in younger adults compared to older adults (main effect: p=0.009, interaction: p=0.06). Post hoc analyses revealed that there was no age effect in the subgroup of women (p=n.s.), while younger men had higher ACTH responses compared to older men (p=0.01). For total plasma cortisol, ANOVA results showed that the pattern of reactivity did not differ between age and gender groups (all interactional effects p=n.s.), although older females had hightened overall cortisol levels compared to the other groups, as proofed in post hoc analyses (all p<0.05). For free salivary cortisol, a significant main effect of gender (p=0.05) and an almost significant three-way-interaction (p=0.09) emerged. Post hoc analyses showed an elevated overall free salivary cortisol response in elderly men compared to elderly women (p=0.006), while no gender differences emerged in neither young adults nor children (both p=n.s.). In sum, the stressor induced significant HPA axis responses in all age and gender groups. The observed ACTH response patterns in young and elderly adults may suggest that a heightened hypothalamic drive in young men decreases with age, resulting in similar ACTH responses in elderly men and women. Alternative interpretations are also discussed. The data also supports the idea of a greater adrenal cortex sensitivity to ACTH signals in young females. Free salivary cortisol responses were elevated in elderly men compared to elderly women, an effect which cannot be explained by gender differences in perceived stress responses to the TSST. It can be speculated if corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG) and/or sex steroids are important modulators of these effects.
Gestational stress (GS) produces profound behavioural impairments in the offspring and may permanently programme hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function. We investigated whether or not GS produced changes in the maternal behaviour of rat dams, and measured depression-like behaviour in the dam, which might contribute to effects in the progeny. We used the Porsolt test, which measures immobility in a forced-swim task, and models depression in rodents, while monitoring maternal care (arched-back nursing, licking/grooming, nesting/grouping pups). Pregnant rats underwent daily restraint stress (1 h/day, days 10-20 of gestation), or were left undisturbed (control). On post-parturition days 3 and 4, dams were placed into a swim tank, and time spent immobile was measured. GS significantly elevated immobility scores by approximately 25% above control values on the second test day. Maternal behaviours, in particular arched-back nursing and nesting/grouping pups, were reduced in GS dams over post-natal days 1-10. Adult offspring showed increased immobility in the Porsolt test, and also hypersecreted ACTH and CORT in response to an acute stress challenge. These data show that GS can alter maternal behaviour in mothers, and this might contribute to alterations in the offspring. GS may be an important factor in maternal post-natal depression, which may in turn detrimentally effect the offspring because depressed mothers do not sufficiently care for their offspring.
Although the naloxone challenge has been used to draw inferences about the dynamics of the stress response, this procedure has never actually been compared "head to head" with a psychological stressor. In the present study, we asked 14 healthy volunteers to complete the naloxone challenge and the Trier Social Stress Test in an outpatient GCRC laboratory setting so that the degree of correspondence between the two procedures could be examined. Findings indicated that subjects who had greater ACTH responses to naloxone also had greater ACTH responses to the psychologically-induced stressor. This was true for both ACTH peak (r=0.57; p<0.04) and ACTH AUC response (r=0.64; p<0.02) measures; none of the cortisol summary score measures correlated significantly across the two challenges. Associations were also found between subjects' baseline personality characteristics and their ACTH responses to each of the challenges. Furthermore, the kinds of characteristics that predicted greater ACTH response to the pharmacological challenge were similar to the kinds of characteristics that predicted ACTH response to the psychological challenge. In general, higher scores on the NEO dimensions of Extraversion and Openness predicted greater ACTH responses. These findings give preliminary evidence that novelty-seeking behavior may be associated with HPA axis lability. The commonalities in personality predictors between the two challenges further support the notion that a common biological substrate may be, at least partially, responsible for the similarities in responses. However, caution should be used in assuming that responses to naloxone directly parallel responses to physiological stress.