Cortisol in Emotional Processing

描述（由申请人提供）：长期以来，人们一直怀疑皮质醇在情感障碍（如抑郁症）中起关键作用。然而，皮质醇对与情绪过程相关的大脑活动的影响尚未在人类中进行过研究。因此，使用功能性磁共振成像（fMRI），这一系列实验的目的是表征皮质醇水平升高对与情绪过程相关的大脑活动的影响。这些研究将解决1）急性升高的循环皮质醇水平的影响2）暴露时间的影响皮质醇水平升高，3）皮质醇对大脑活动的影响与情绪过程的性别差异。几种不同类型的影响处理的功能电路将使用功能磁共振成像研究。在这些研究中使用的情绪诱导范式将纳入特定的情感过程，这是功能失调的抑郁状态（幸福和悲伤）。据推测，在情绪处理过程中，皮质醇的升高将导致剂量依赖性的前额叶皮层活动减少和杏仁核活动增加。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cortisol has long been suspected to play a critical role in affective disorders, such as depression. However, the effects of cortisol on brain activity associated with emotional processes have not yet been investigated in humans. Therefore, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this series of experiments will aim to characterize the effects of elevated cortisol levels on brain activity associated with emotional processes. These studies will address 1) Effects of acutely elevated circulating cortisol levels 2) Length of exposure effects of elevated cortisol levels and, 3) Gender differences in the effects of cortisol on brain activity associated with emotional processes. The functional circuitry underlying the processing of several different types of affect will be studied using fMRI. The emotion induction paradigms used in these studies will incorporate specific affective processes which are dysfunctional in the depressed state (happiness and sadness). It is hypothesized that during emotional processing elevations in cortisol will result in dose dependant decreases in prefrontal cortex activity and increased amygdala activity.