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Cited by 32Stress Responses and CortisolPosttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchAdrenal Hormones and Disorders

Women with PTSD have lower basal salivary cortisol levels later in the day than do men with PTSD: A preliminary study

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Freidenberg, Brian M., Gusmano, Rebecca, Hickling, Edward J., Blanchard, Edward B., Bremner, J. Douglas, Frye, Cheryl·2010·Physiology & Behavior
DOI 10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.06.002PMC PMC3233759
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Abstract

Unlabelled Acute stress responses of women are typically more reactive than that of men. Women, compared to men, may be more vulnerable to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Whether there are differences between women and men with PTSD in levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, was investigated in a pilot study.Methods women (n=6) and men (n=3) motor vehicle accident (MVA) survivors, with PTSD, had saliva collected at 1400 h, 1800 h, and 2200 h. Cortisol levels in saliva were measured by radioimmunoassay. An interaction between gender and time of sample collection was observed due to women's cortisol levels being lower and decreasing over time, whereas men's levels were higher and increased across time of day of collection. Results of this pilot study suggest a difference in the pattern of disruption of glucocorticoid secretion among women and men with PTSD. Women had greater suppression of their basal cortisol levels than did men; however, the diurnal pattern for cortisol levels to decline throughout the day was observed among the women but not the men.

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  • Studies have found increased or no differences in diurnal cortisol rhythms in individuals with PTSD.

    “However, studies have also found increased or no differences in basal glucocorticoid levels (Meewisse et al, 2007) and diurnal cortisol rhythms in individuals with PTSD (Freidenberg et al, 2010;Maes et al, 1998)”

    From Inflammation in Fear- and Anxiety-Based Disorders: PTSD, GAD, and Beyond (2017) · cites this paper as Freidenberg et al, 2010

    The Abstract (Methods) reports that cortisol increased across the afternoon and evening in the three men with PTSD, while it declined normally in the six women with PTSD. The Discussion likewise describes a preserved diurnal pattern in women but an aberrant one in men. The study had no non-PTSD control group, so it cannot establish that diurnal rhythms showed no difference from those of people without PTSD. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Other factors may contribute to HPA dysregulation in PTSD, such as sex, type and duration of trauma exposure, and severity of PTSD symptoms.

    “suggesting that other factors maybe be contributing to HPA dysregulation in PTSD, such as sex (Freidenberg et al, 2010), type and duration of trauma exposure, and severity of PTSD symptoms (Shea et al, 2005).”

    From Inflammation in Fear- and Anxiety-Based Disorders: PTSD, GAD, and Beyond (2017) · cites this paper as Freidenberg et al, 2010

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Authors
Freidenberg, B. M., Gusmano, R., Hickling, E. J., Blanchard, E. B., Bremner, J. D., & Frye, C.
Affiliations
  • University at Albany, State University of New York (US)
  • Emory University (US)
Corresponding author
Freidenberg, Brian M.
ORCID
Venue
Physiology & Behavior
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2010-02
Volume
99
Issue
2
Pages
234-236
ISSN
0031-9384 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.06.002
PMC
PMC3233759
OpenAlex
W2018592429
Cited by
32
References
49
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 6 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2012: 3
FWCI
0.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Physiology & Behavior (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • State University of New York
  • University at Albany
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL088726)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R21MH080208, R01MH056120, MH6769801, R56MH067698, MH-48476, MH056120, K24MH076955, R01MH067698, R01MH048476, R13MH060282, T32MH067547)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R01DK054211)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (R01NS033072)
  • National Center for Research Resources (S10RR016917)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
Keywords
post-traumatic stress disorder, salivary cortisol, sex differences, diurnal cortisol rhythm, glucocorticoid secretion, stress response
MeSH terms
Accidents, Traffic, Adult, Circadian Rhythm, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Male, Radioimmunoassay, Saliva, Sex Factors, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

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