Addison's - Memory Problems ~ Tytherleigh Vedhara Lightman

[Guest guest]

Mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors and their differential effects on memory performance in people with 's disease.

Tytherleigh MY, Vedhara K, Lightman SL.

Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, Clifton, UK. m.tytherleigh@...

The effects of corticosteroids on memory performance have been the subject of some controversy. Whilst many studies have shown that high levels of corticosteroids can impair memory performance, others have shown they can facilitate it. One explanation for these discrepant effects arises from the differential activation of the two types of corticosteroid receptor--the mineralocorticoid receptor (MRs) and the glucocorticoid receptor (GRs), and the function each subserves during memory formation. Studies in rats and chickens suggest that activation of the MRs is essential during sensory storage (i.e. encoding), whereas normal levels of activation of the GRs (in addition to the already activated MRs) is essential during memory consolidation and retrieval. By using a repeated measures design with nine people with 's disease (mean age, 37.9 years), the effects following activation of the MRs only, GRs only, and a combination of MRs/GRs, on working memory and the episodic and semantic components of declarative memory were investigated. MRs and GRs were activated using either MR specific (9 alpha fluorohydrocortisone) or GR specific (dexamethasone) exogenous steroids, respectively. The results showed that participants performed better in the Digits Backward task when both receptors were activated compared to when GRs only were activated (P<0.01). They also performed better in recall in the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test when both receptors were activated compared to when MRs only were activated (P<0.05) and GRs only were activated (P<0.01). Whilst significant effects were not consistent across memory tasks, these results lend further support to the view that balanced activation of MRs and GRs is necessary for optimal memory function in humans.

PMID: 15110920 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15110920

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4530(03)00103-3

Bob

[Guest guest]

I wonder if Folic acid balances the two types of receptors (MR v GR

as below) and a marginal deficit affects one more than the other??

Bob

>

> Mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors and their

differential

> effects on memory performance in people with 's disease.

> Tytherleigh MY

> <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?

Db=pubmed & Cmd=Search & Term=%22T\

> ytherleigh%20MY%22%5BAuthor%

5D & itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed\

> _ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus> ,

Vedhara K

> <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?

Db=pubmed & Cmd=Search & Term=%22V\

> edhara%20K%22%5BAuthor%

5D & itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_Resu\

> ltsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus> , Lightman SL

> <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?

Db=pubmed & Cmd=Search & Term=%22L\

> ightman%20SL%22%5BAuthor%

5D & itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_Re\

> sultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstractPlus> .

> Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol,

Clifton,

> UK. m.tytherleigh@...

>

> The effects of corticosteroids on memory performance have been the

> subject of some controversy. Whilst many studies have shown that

high

> levels of corticosteroids can impair memory performance, others have

> shown they can facilitate it. One explanation for these discrepant

> effects arises from the differential activation of the two types of

> corticosteroid receptor--the mineralocorticoid receptor (MRs) and

the

> glucocorticoid receptor (GRs), and the function each subserves

during

> memory formation. Studies in rats and chickens suggest that

activation

> of the MRs is essential during sensory storage (i.e. encoding),

whereas

> normal levels of activation of the GRs (in addition to the already

> activated MRs) is essential during memory consolidation and

retrieval.

> By using a repeated measures design with nine people with 's

> disease (mean age, 37.9 years), the effects following activation of

the

> MRs only, GRs only, and a combination of MRs/GRs, on working memory

and

> the episodic and semantic components of declarative memory were

> investigated. MRs and GRs were activated using either MR specific (9

> alpha fluorohydrocortisone) or GR specific (dexamethasone) exogenous

> steroids, respectively. The results showed that participants

performed

> better in the Digits Backward task when both receptors were

activated

> compared to when GRs only were activated (P<0.01). They also

performed

> better in recall in the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test when both

receptors

> were activated compared to when MRs only were activated (P<0.05)

and GRs

> only were activated (P<0.01). Whilst significant effects were not

> consistent across memory tasks, these results lend further support

to

> the view that balanced activation of MRs and GRs is necessary for

> optimal memory function in humans.

>

> PMID: 15110920 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>

> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15110920

> <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15110920>

>

> http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4530(03)00103-3

> <http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4530(03)00103-3>

>

>

>

> Bob

>

[Guest guest]

Cognitive Effects of Intravenous Hydrocortisone in Subjects with PTSD and Healthy Control Subjects

http://www.annalsnyas.org/cgi/content/abstract/1071/1/410

Bob

>> Mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors and their differential

[Guest guest]

Cortisol, learning, memory, and attention in relation to smaller hippocampal volume in police officers with posttraumatic stress disorder.

uer RJ, Olff M, van Meijel EP, Carlier IV, Gersons BP.

Department of Psychiatry, Centre for Psychological Trauma, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. R.J.uer@...

BACKGROUND: A proposed explanation for memory impairments in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is stress-induced hippocampal damage due to elevated cortisol levels. We have previously reported smaller hippocampi in police officers with PTSD. In this study, we examined changes in and associations between cortisol, learning, memory, attention, and hippocampal volume in PTSD.

METHODS: In a case-matched control study, 12 police officers with PTSD and 12 traumatized police officers without lifetime PTSD were examined with magnetic resonance imaging (for hippocampal volume), salivary cortisol tests, and neurocognitive assessments.

RESULTS: Significantly smaller hippocampi and higher early morning salivary cortisol levels were found in PTSD. Subjects with PTSD performed worse on a delayed visual memory recall task at trend level, and made more perseverations and intrusions on a verbal memory task. Negative correlations were found between PTSD symptom severity and immediate recall function, and between re-experiencing symptoms and left hippocampal volume. A positive correlation was found between salivary cortisol level in early morning and right hippocampal volume; however, hippocampal volume did not correlate with memory.

CONCLUSIONS: Smaller hippocampi, higher cortisol levels, and memory impairments were associated with PTSD but were not directly correlated to one another. Memory impairments in PTSD do not seem to be a direct consequence of hippocampal size.

PMID: 16154543 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Biol Psychiatry. 2006 Jan 15;59(2):171-7. Epub 2005 Sep 9

so why do they not use salivary cortisol if it's so unrelible (as to be used in a published report)

Bob

>> Mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors and their differential effects on memory performance in people with 's disease.