Cortisol stress and inflammation paradox
This is a complex issue, and I am not the best person to deal with it,
but let me at least get the ball rolling:
(1) Like just about everything else physiological, stress reactions
include homeostatic aspects, so some effects of cortisol will decrease
the signals causing cortisol production; anhd this will eventually
lower cortisol levels.
(2) Cortisol is not the only player in "stress" reactions.
(3) Some "stress" disorders are disorders of homeostasis in the HPA
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrelan) axis.
(4) Many (most? all??) cortisol effects are "receptor mediated".
(George?) Meaney, Seema Bhatnagar, et al. (McGill U.) have shown, in an
elegant series of experiments the effects of maternal separation from
(rat) pups on maternal behavior, which in turn has an effect on
development of glucocorticoid receptors in (I believe) prefrontal
cortex (or possibly n. accumbens?), which determines how efficiently
the rats (when mature) react to stress (e.g. ability to reduce response
when stressor is gone).
(5) I have in my files at work a VERY interesting article reviewing the
whole question of stress and different KINDS of depression, in terms of
these complex feedback relationships. Perhaps I will remember to get
it and post citation here.
F. Frank LeFever, Ph.D.
New York Neuropsychology Group
Quote:
>Paradox 1.
>People under stress have elevated cortisol levels.
>Stress disorders often include body hypersensitivity, irritation,
inflammation
>yet
>to treat inflammation, irritation we give people cortisol derivatives?
>What's wrong with this picture.
>Paradox 2.Animals who have their cortisol pathways dampened cannot
handle
>stress.
>Don't depressed individuals have higher cortisol levels, yet they
cannot
>handle stress either.
>Other questions:
>Are you better able to handle stress with low cortisol or high
cortisol levels?
>If depressed individuals have high cortisol levels, then why aren't
they
>able to handle stress better than non-depressed individuals?
>Claudia
