The effect of cortisol on emotional responses depends on order of cortisol and placebo administration in a within-subject design

Abstract

Cortisol does not exhibit a straightforward relationship with mood states; administration of glucocorticoids to human subjects has produced mixed effects on mood and emotional processing. In this study, participants (N=46) received intravenous hydrocortisone (synthetic cortisol; 0.1 mg/kg body weight) and placebo in randomized order over two sessions 48 hours apart. Following the infusion, participants rated neutral and unpleasant pictures. In Session 1, participants reported elevated negative affect (NA) following the picture-rating task, regardless of treatment. In Session 2, however, only participants who received cortisol (and thus who had received placebo in Session 1) reported elevated NA. Arousal ratings for unpleasant pictures followed a similar pattern. These findings suggest that the effects of cortisol on emotion vary based on situational factors, such as drug administration order or familiarity with the tasks and setting. Such factors can influence cortisol’s effects on emotion in two ways: A) cortisol may only potentiate NA and arousal ratings in the absence of other, overwhelming influences on affect, such as the novelty of the setting and tasks in Session 1; and B) cortisol in Session 1 may facilitate learning processes (e.g. habituation to the stimuli and setting; extinction of aversive responses) such that emotional responses to the pictures are lessened in Session 2. This interpretation is compatible with a body of literature on the effects of glucocorticoids on learning and memory processes.

Circulating cortisol levels after exogenous cortisol administration are higher in women using hormonal contraceptives: data from two preliminary studies

“…Participants were screened for inclusion in the study by phone. For logistical reasons unrelated to the present hypotheses, men and women using HBC were included (Kirschbaum et al, 1999; Wirth et al, 2011). The majority (60%) of women were using a monophasic progestin/estrogen (e.g., Yasmin) while the remaining women were taking a triphasic progestin/estrogen (e.g., Ortho Tri-Cyclen).…”

“…All study sessions were scheduled so that neither drug administration session fell within the HBC “placebo” week. Exclusion and inclusion criteria are described in more detail in Wirth et al (2011). Fifty-four participants were enrolled in the study.…”

“…Notably, this dose of hydrocortisone produced plasma cortisol levels that were somewhat higher than those caused by a moderate stressor, such as public speaking (Kirschbaum et al, 1993), but still within the physiological range (Fry, Morton, Garcia-Webb, & Keast, 1991; Cydulka & Emerman, 1998). Since the dose was calibrated to body weight, women received a significantly smaller dose than men, receiving on average (SEM) 6.29 (0.16) mg vs. men’s 8.15 (0.24) mg (see Wirth et al, 2011). Blood samples continued to be collected at regular intervals throughout the study sessions, which lasted 5 hours total, ending at 2100 h. Other study procedures, not directly relevant to this investigation, are detailed in Wirth et al (2011).…”

“…Specifically, we hypothesized that HBC would result in greater cortisol increases, based on past research demonstrating that HBC use is associated with elevated levels of other exogenously administered GCs (e.g., Seidegård et al, 2000). To test our hypotheses, we reanalyzed plasma and salivary cortisol data from two studies involving acute intravenous (IV) and oral cortisol administration, respectively (Wirth, Scherer, Hoks & Abercrombie, 2011; Abercrombie et al, 2011). Study 1 included women on HBC and men, although Study 2 included women on HBC, women not taking HBC, and men.…”

Stress Response to the Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Environment in Healthy Adults Relates to the Degree of Limbic Reactivity during Emotion Processing

“…Recent research on the effects of exogenous cortisol suggests that relations between cortisol and negative emotions are dependent on situational factors, including the novelty of the experimental environment and task familiarity [6]. Studies have also found that elevated levels of cortisol may improve accuracy on emotional memory tasks [7,8].…”