TY - JOUR
T1 - A meta-analysis of cortisol response to challenge in human aging
T2 - Importance of gender
AU - Otte, Christian
AU - Hart, Stacey
AU - Neylan, Thomas C.
AU - Marmar, Charles R.
AU - Yaffe, Kristine
AU - Mohr, David C.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported with a postdoctoral fellowship by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (grant Ot 209/2-1) and the Sierra Pacific (VISN 21) Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC).
PY - 2005/1
Y1 - 2005/1
N2 - An increased cortisol response to challenge is associated with a variety of age-related disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, depression, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and hypertension. Among the healthy elderly, an increased cortisol response to challenge may be a risk factor for developing these age-related disorders.We searched Pubmed, Embase, PsychInfo, Biosis, and Digital Dissertations (January 1966-June 2003) and included 45 parallel-group (young vs. old subjects) studies that used either a pharmacological or psychological challenge in healthy volunteers and measured cortisol response to challenge. We calculated effect sizes (Cohen's d) for the standardized mean differences between groups.Compared to younger controls (n=670, mean age 28 years ±5), older subjects (n=625, 69±6) showed a larger cortisol response to challenge defined as stronger response to stimulation or less inhibition after a suppression test (d=0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.26-0.57). The effect of age on cortisol release was significantly stronger in women (d=0.65, 95% CI 0.34-0.97) than men (d=0.24, 95% CI 0.02-0.47).Our results demonstrate that aging increases the cortisol response to challenge. This effect of age on cortisol response is almost three-fold stronger in women than men. Prospective studies should explore whether the higher cortisol response in the elderly is a risk factor for developing neuropsychiatric and medical disorders.
AB - An increased cortisol response to challenge is associated with a variety of age-related disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, depression, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and hypertension. Among the healthy elderly, an increased cortisol response to challenge may be a risk factor for developing these age-related disorders.We searched Pubmed, Embase, PsychInfo, Biosis, and Digital Dissertations (January 1966-June 2003) and included 45 parallel-group (young vs. old subjects) studies that used either a pharmacological or psychological challenge in healthy volunteers and measured cortisol response to challenge. We calculated effect sizes (Cohen's d) for the standardized mean differences between groups.Compared to younger controls (n=670, mean age 28 years ±5), older subjects (n=625, 69±6) showed a larger cortisol response to challenge defined as stronger response to stimulation or less inhibition after a suppression test (d=0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.26-0.57). The effect of age on cortisol release was significantly stronger in women (d=0.65, 95% CI 0.34-0.97) than men (d=0.24, 95% CI 0.02-0.47).Our results demonstrate that aging increases the cortisol response to challenge. This effect of age on cortisol response is almost three-fold stronger in women than men. Prospective studies should explore whether the higher cortisol response in the elderly is a risk factor for developing neuropsychiatric and medical disorders.
KW - Aging
KW - Alzheimer
KW - Cortisol
KW - Depression
KW - Gender
KW - HPA axis
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U2 - 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2004.06.002
DO - 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2004.06.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 15358445
AN - SCOPUS:4444274176
SN - 0306-4530
VL - 30
SP - 80
EP - 91
JO - Psychoneuroendocrinology
JF - Psychoneuroendocrinology
IS - 1
ER -
