This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by WILKINSON, C. W. Articles by PESKIND, E. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by WILKINSON, C. W. Articles by PESKIND, E. R.

Human Glucocorticoid Feedback Inhibition Is Reduced in Older Individuals: Evening Study¹

Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (C.W.W., E.A.C.); Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (M.A.R., E.R.P.); Mental Health (E.C.P., S.R.M., M.A.R.), VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington 98108; and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (C.W.W., E.C.P., M.A.R., E.R.P.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195

Address correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Charles W. Wilkinson, GRECC (182B), VA Puget Sound Health Care System, 1660 South Columbian Way, Seattle, Washington 98108. E-mail: wilkinso{at}u.washington.edu

We have previously shown that when tested in the morning, older men and women, pretreated with metyrapone to block endogenous cortisol synthesis, exhibit delayed suppression of plasma ACTH in response to cortisol infusion. To confirm this finding and to determine whether aging-related changes in feedback responsiveness are exaggerated near the time of the circadian nadir in adrenocortical secretion, we performed a similar study in the evening. Healthy young (20–35 yr, n = 22) and old (>65 yr, n = 21) men and women were administered metyrapone orally (750 mg) at 1600 and 1900 h, followed by a cortisol infusion of 0.06 mg/kg/h for 150 min. Blood samples were taken at 15-min intervals for 4 h following infusion onset for measurement of plasma ACTH, cortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, and corticosteroid binding globulin. When corrections were made for differences in circulating cortisol concentrations achieved among age and gender subgroups, feedback inhibition of ACTH was found to be significantly greater in young than in old subjects of both genders. Our studies support the hypothesis that glucocorticoid responses to stress in aging individuals are likely to be prolonged due to blunted and delayed inhibition of ACTH secretion, thus increasing the total exposure to glucocorticoids.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. L. Woods and J. L. Martin Cortisol and Wake Time in Nursing Home Residents With Behavioral Symptoms of Dementia Biol Res Nurs, July 1, 2007; 9(1): 21 - 29. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. B. Goldman, G. Wood, M. B. Goldman, M. Gavin, S. Paul, S. Zaheer, G. Fayyaz, and R. S. Pilla Diminished Glucocorticoid Negative Feedback in Polydipsic Hyponatremic Schizophrenic Patients J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., February 1, 2007; 92(2): 698 - 704. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. F. Evans, C.-L Shen, S. Pollack, J. F. Aloia, and J. K. Yeh Adrenocorticotropin Evokes Transient Elevations in Intracellular Free Calcium ([Ca2+]i) and Increases Basal [Ca2+]i in Resting Chondrocytes through a Phospholipase C-Dependent Mechanism Endocrinology, July 1, 2005; 146(7): 3123 - 3132. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Sher Type D personality: the heart, stress, and cortisol QJM, May 1, 2005; 98(5): 323 - 329. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. G. Smith, L. Betancourt, and Y. Sun Molecular Endocrinology and Physiology of the Aging Central Nervous System Endocr. Rev., April 1, 2005; 26(2): 203 - 250. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. S. Maheu, R. Joober, and S. J. Lupien Declarative Memory after Stress in Humans: Differential Involvement of the {beta}-Adrenergic and Corticosteroid Systems J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., March 1, 2005; 90(3): 1697 - 1704. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Traustadottir, P. R. Bosch, T. Cantu, and K. S. Matt Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Response and Recovery from High-Intensity Exercise in Women: Effects of Aging and Fitness J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., July 1, 2004; 89(7): 3248 - 3254. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. M. Lyons, C. Yang, S. Eliez, A. L. Reiss, and A. F. Schatzberg Cognitive Correlates of White Matter Growth and Stress Hormones in Female Squirrel Monkey Adults J. Neurosci., April 7, 2004; 24(14): 3655 - 3662. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Otte, A. Yassouridis, H. Jahn, P. Maass, N. Stober, K. Wiedemann, and M. Kellner Mineralocorticoid Receptor-Mediated Inhibition of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis in Aged Humans J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., October 1, 2003; 58(10): B900 - 905. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. L. Woods and M. Dimond The Effect of Therapeutic Touch on Agitated Behavior and Cortisol in Persons with Alzheimer's Disease Biol Res Nurs, October 1, 2002; 4(2): 104 - 114. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. J. Lupien, C. W. Wilkinson, S. Briere, N. M. K. Ng Ying Kin, M. J. Meaney, and N. P. V. Nair Acute Modulation of Aged Human Memory by Pharmacological Manipulation of Glucocorticoids J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., August 1, 2002; 87(8): 3798 - 3807. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]