This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. We propose to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine the physiologic and functional consequences of exogenous application of the stress glucocorticoid hormone, cortisol in healthy volunteers. Our goals are to (a) establish whether acute cortisol administration alters fMRI signal in the brain, (b) delineate the network of regions associated with cortisol function, (c) determine the time-course of potential signal changes, and (d) contrast activation patterns in brain regions associated with cortisol function in the presence or absence of exogenous cortisol. To achieve these goals, we will conduct two experiments: the first, designed to document the anatomy linked to cortisol action by using a method developed in the Research Imaging Center (RIC) for assessing the location and time-course of physiologic processes of unknown temporal and spatial characteristics; the second, applying standard fMRI methods and neurobehavioral challenges in a partially within-subject, placebo-controlled, double-blind comparison of the effects of cortisol on brain regions identified in the initial experiment. These data should provide valuable insights into the brain regions associated with cortisol, an important hormone in stress responses, and help determine how increased cortisol levels alter brain activity and subsequently disrupt cognitive/behavioral functioning. Subjects will have one 3-hr MRI session including aMRI and fMRI and the injection of cortisol or saline (placebo).
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