Hydrocortisone effects on memory and emotional processing
Effects of 10-day hydrocortisone administration on emotional processing and memory in healthy volunteers
Abnormal functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a common finding in individuals with depression, and normalization often occurs with successful treatment. Further, poor cognitive functioning in the domain of memory, as well as biases towards emotional stimuli are features of depression or vulnerability to depression. However, human experimental research on the effects of non-rapid HPA axis changes on emotional/cognitive biases has been sparse. The current project aims to bridge these areas of research and investigate the effects of increases in basal cortisol levels on emotional and memory processing.
PERL Researchers: Kristin Schmidt, Catherine Harmer, Phil Cowen, Martina di Simplicio