TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhanced effects of cortisol administration on episodic and working memory in aging veterans with PTSD
AU - Yehuda, Rachel
AU - Harvey, Philip D.
AU - Buchsbaum, Monte
AU - Tischler, Lisa
AU - Schmeidler, James
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by a VA Merit Review Grant (RY) and, in part by a grant (5 M01 RR00071) for the Mount Sinai General Clinical Research Center from the National Institute of Health. We thank Drs Julia Golier, Robert Grossman, and Linda Bierer for facilitating various aspects of this proposal, such as subject recruitment, medical clearance, and oversight of psychiatric diagnoses, and Drs Iouri Makotkine, Ren Kui Yang, and Song Ling Guo for laboratory determinations. We also thank Karina Stavitsky, Sarah Brand, and Adam Morris for help in subject coordination, data entry, and manuscript preparation.
PY - 2007/12
Y1 - 2007/12
N2 - Though both glucocorticoid alterations and memory impairments have been noted in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is not clear if these phenomena are causally linked. As there is emerging evidence that these domains become further altered in PTSD with increasing age, it is of interest to examine these relationships in an older cohort. Aging (mean age, 62.7±8.9; range, 52-81) combat veterans with (n=13) and without (n=17) PTSD received an intravenous bolus of 17.5 mg hydrocortisone (cortisol), a naturally occurring glucocorticoid, or placebo in a randomized, double-blind manner, on two mornings approximately 1-2 weeks apart. Neuropsychological testing to evaluate episodic and working memory performance was performed 75 min later. Cortisol enhanced episodic memory performance in both groups of subjects, but enhanced elements of working memory performance only in the PTSD+ group. The preferential effect of cortisol administration on working memory in PTSD may be related to the superimposition of PTSD and age, as cortisol had impairing effects on this task in a previously studied, younger cohort. The findings suggest that there may be opportunities for developing therapeutic strategies using glucocorticoids in the treatment of aging combat veterans.
AB - Though both glucocorticoid alterations and memory impairments have been noted in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is not clear if these phenomena are causally linked. As there is emerging evidence that these domains become further altered in PTSD with increasing age, it is of interest to examine these relationships in an older cohort. Aging (mean age, 62.7±8.9; range, 52-81) combat veterans with (n=13) and without (n=17) PTSD received an intravenous bolus of 17.5 mg hydrocortisone (cortisol), a naturally occurring glucocorticoid, or placebo in a randomized, double-blind manner, on two mornings approximately 1-2 weeks apart. Neuropsychological testing to evaluate episodic and working memory performance was performed 75 min later. Cortisol enhanced episodic memory performance in both groups of subjects, but enhanced elements of working memory performance only in the PTSD+ group. The preferential effect of cortisol administration on working memory in PTSD may be related to the superimposition of PTSD and age, as cortisol had impairing effects on this task in a previously studied, younger cohort. The findings suggest that there may be opportunities for developing therapeutic strategies using glucocorticoids in the treatment of aging combat veterans.
KW - Aging
KW - Cognitive function
KW - Combat veterans
KW - Cortisol/glucocorticoids
KW - Memory performance
KW - Posttraumatic stress disorder
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/36248939749
U2 - 10.1038/sj.npp.1301380
DO - 10.1038/sj.npp.1301380
M3 - Article
C2 - 17392739
AN - SCOPUS:36248939749
SN - 0893-133X
VL - 32
SP - 2581
EP - 2591
JO - Neuropsychopharmacology
JF - Neuropsychopharmacology
IS - 12
ER -