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Cited by 61Stress Responses and CortisolAdrenal Hormones and DisordersCircadian rhythm and melatonin

A Stochastic Differential Equation Model of Diurnal Cortisol Patterns

Brown, Emery N., Meehan, Patricia M., Dempster, Arthur P.·2001·American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism
DOI 10.1152/ajpendo.2001.280.3.e450
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Abstract

Circadian modulation of episodic bursts is recognized as the normal physiological pattern of diurnal variation in plasma cortisol levels. The primary physiological factors underlying these diurnal patterns are the ultradian timing of secretory events, circadian modulation of the amplitude of secretory events, infusion of the hormone from the adrenal gland into the plasma, and clearance of the hormone from the plasma by the liver. Each measured plasma cortisol level has an error arising from the cortisol immunoassay. We demonstrate that all of these three physiological principles can be succinctly summarized in a single stochastic differential equation plus measurement error model and show that physiologically consistent ranges of the model parameters can be determined from published reports. We summarize the model parameters in terms of the multivariate Gaussian probability density and establish the plausibility of the model with a series of simulation studies. Our framework makes possible a sensitivity analysis in which all model parameters are allowed to vary simultaneously. The model offers an approach for simultaneously representing cortisol's ultradian, circadian, and kinetic properties. Our modeling paradigm provides a framework for simulation studies and data analysis that should be readily adaptable to the analysis of other endocrine hormone systems.

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Crossref · 10.1152/ajpendo.2001.280.3.e450

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  • The amplitude and timing variations of cortisol pulses are due to the circadian rhythm and ultradian rhythm of underlying cortisol release.

    “The amplitude and timing variations of the pulses are due to the circadian rhythm and ultradian rhythm of the underlying cortisol release (37).”

    From Sparse System Identification of Leptin Dynamics in Women With Obesity (2022) · cites this paper as [37]

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Authors
Brown, E. N., Meehan, P. M., & Dempster, A. P.
Affiliations
Harvard University (US)
ORCID
Brown, Emery N.
Venue
American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism
Publisher
American Physiological Society
Published
2001-03-01
Volume
280
Issue
3
Pages
E450-E461
ISSN
  • 0193-1849 (ISSN-L)
  • 1522-1555
DOI
10.1152/ajpendo.2001.280.3.e450
OpenAlex
W1954326660
Cited by
61
References
56
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 5
FWCI
0.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG006072, 1-R01-AG06072, 1-P01-AG-09975, P01AG009975)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R01GM053559, 1-R01-GM-53559)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
Keywords
diurnal cortisol rhythm, stochastic differential equation model, circadian rhythm, ultradian rhythms, cortisol secretion, plasma cortisol, cortisol clearance, sensitivity analysis, multivariate normal distribution
MeSH terms
Adrenal Glands, Algorithms, Circadian Rhythm, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Kinetics, Light, Liver, Male, Mathematics, Models, Biological, Periodicity

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