Manipulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: effects on cognitive and emotional information processing and neural connectivity

Schmidt, K

Abstract:: Despite extensive evidence documenting abnormal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning as a risk factor for the development of depression and other psychiatric disorders, and experimental evidence from acute stress manipulations, the effects of sustained cortisol alterations on clinically relevant cognitive-behavioural and neural processing remain poorly understood. The aim of this thesis was to characterise how non-acute changes in cortisol levels modify behavioural and neu...
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APA Style

Schmidt, K. (2016). Manipulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: effects on cognitive and emotional information processing and neural connectivity [PhD thesis]. University of Oxford.

MLA Style

Schmidt, K. Manipulating the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis: Effects on Cognitive and Emotional Information Processing and Neural Connectivity. 2016. University of Oxford, PhD thesis.

Chicago Style

Schmidt, K. 2016. “Manipulating the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis: Effects on Cognitive and Emotional Information Processing and Neural Connectivity.” PhD thesis, University of Oxford.
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Files:: Thesis_SchmidtK_20170614_Final.pdf

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Authors

+ Schmidt, K More by this author

Division:: MSD
Department:: Psychiatry
Department:: Psychiatry
Role:: Author

Contributors

+ Harmer, C

Department:: Psychiatry
Role:: Supervisor

+ Cowen, P

Role:: Supervisor

+ Medical Research Council More from this funder

DOI:: 10.5287/ora-0oa697gxm
Type of award:: DPhil
Level of award:: Doctoral
Awarding institution:: University of Oxford

Language:: English
Keywords:: Emotional processing

Cortisol

Stress

Memory

Neuroimaging
Subjects:: Psychoneuroendocrinology

Psychology

Psychopharmacology

Cognitive Neuroscience

Psychiatry
UUID:: uuid:c0475a98-e070-4446-9179-eb87047cb854
Deposit date:: 2017-06-20
ARK identifier:: ark:/29072/ora_c0475a98e07044469179eb87047cb854

Related item:: Prebiotic intake reduces the waking cortisol response and alters emotional bias in healthy volunteers
Description:: Rationale There is now compelling evidence for a link between enteric microbiota and brain function. The ingestion of probiotics modulates the processing of information that is strongly linked to anxiety and depression, and influences the neuroendocrine stress response. We have recently demonstrated that prebiotics (soluble fibres that augment the growth of indigenous microbiota) have significant neurobiological effects in rats, but their action in humans has not been reported. Objectives The present study explored the effects of two prebiotics on the secretion of the stress hormone, cortisol and emotional processing in healthy volunteers. Methods Forty-five healthy volunteers received one of two prebiotics (fructooligosaccharides, FOS, or Bimuno®-galactooligosaccharides, B-GOS) or a placebo (maltodextrin) daily for 3 weeks. The salivary cortisol awakening response was sampled before and after prebiotic/placebo administration. On the final day of treatment, participants completed a computerised task battery assessing the processing of emotionally salient information. Results The salivary cortisol awakening response was significantly lower after B-GOS intake compared with placebo. Participants also showed decreased attentional vigilance to negative versus positive information in a dot-probe task after B-GOS compared to placebo intake. No effects were found after the administration of FOS. Conclusion The suppression of the neuroendocrine stress response and the increase in the processing of positive versus negative attentional vigilance in subjects supplemented with B-GOS are consistent with previous findings of endocrine and anxiolytic effects of microbiota proliferation. Further studies are therefore needed to test the utility of B-GOS supplementation in the treatment of stress-related disorders.

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Copyright holder:: Schmidt, K

Licence:: Terms and Conditions of Use for Oxford University Research Archive

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Manipulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: effects on cognitive and emotional information processing and neural connectivity

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