ArticlePsychoneuroendocrinology2014
Linking plasma cortisol levels to phenotypic heterogeneity of posttraumatic stress symptomatology.
Article in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It has been retracted, and should not be counted. Cited by 8 papers.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- The role of Rajyoga meditation for modulation of anxiety and serum cortisol in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery: A prospective randomized control study.Annals of cardiac anaesthesiaTrial
- Hair Cortisol as a Marker of Intergenerational Heritage of War? A Study of Veterans and Their Offspring.Psychiatry investigation · 2020Article
- Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Hypofunction in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) as a Consequence of Activated Immune-Inflammatory and Oxidative and Nitrosative Pathways.Molecular neurobiology · 2017Review
- HPA Axis Interactions with Behavioral Systems.Comprehensive Physiology · 2016Review
- Two types of dominant male cichlid fish: behavioral and hormonal characteristics.Biology open · 2016Article
- Elevated cortisol in healthy female adolescent offspring of mothers with posttraumatic stress disorder.Journal of anxiety disorders · 2016Article
- Can the neural-cortisol association be moderated by experience-induced changes in awareness?Scientific reports · 2015Article
- The relationship between response inhibition and posttraumatic stress symptom clusters in adolescent earthquake survivors: an event-related potential study.Scientific reports · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
- Retraction · 2020-07-04Investigation by ORI · Misconduct - Official Investigation(s) and/or Finding(s) · Misconduct by Author · · Alexander Neumeister has ORI finding of misconduct;
- Commented on by
- Retracted
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
introductionRecent confirmatory factor analytic studies of the dimensional structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest that this disorder may be best characterized by five symptom dimensions-re-experiencing, avoidance, numbing, dysphoric arousal, and anxious arousal. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation in PTSD and has been attributed to enhanced glucocorticoid responsiveness. However, little is known about how altered HPA-axis function is related to this contemporary phenotypic model of PTSD.
methodsWe compared morning plasma cortisol levels of drug-free civilian adults with PTSD (N = 29) to trauma-exposed (TC; N = 12) and non-trauma-exposed healthy controls (HC; N = 23). We then examined the relation between cortisol levels and a contemporary 5-factor 'dysphoric arousal' model of PTSD symptoms among individuals with PTSD.
resultsAfter adjustment for white race/ethnicity, education, lifetime alcohol use disorder, and current smoking status, the PTSD (Cohen's d = 1.1) and TC (Cohen's d = 1.3) groups had significantly lower cortisol levels than the HC group; cortisol levels did not differ between the TC and PTSD groups. Except for age (r = -.46), none of the other demographic, trauma-related, or clinical variables, including lifetime mood/anxiety disorder and severity of current depressive and anxiety symptoms, were associated with cortisol levels. In a stepwise linear regression analysis, age (β = -.44) and severity of emotional numbing symptoms (β = -.35) were independently associated with cortisol levels in the PTSD group; none of the other PTSD symptom clusters or depression symptoms were significant. Post hoc analyses revealed that severity of the emotional numbing symptom of restricted range of affect (i.e., unable to have loving feelings) was independently related to cortisol levels (β = -.35).
conclusionThese results suggest that trauma-exposed civilian adults with and without PTSD have significantly lower cortisol levels compared to healthy, non-trauma-exposed adults. They further suggest that low cortisol levels among adults with PTSD may be specifically linked to emotional numbing symptomatology that is unique to the PTSD phenotype and unrelated to depressive symptoms.
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