
Am J Psychiatry 164:163-166, January 2007
doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.164.1.163
© 2007 American Psychiatric Association
Effects of Parental PTSD on the Cortisol Response to Dexamethasone Administration in Their Adult Offspring
Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D.,
William Blair, B.A.,
Ellen Labinsky, Ph.D., and
Linda M. Bierer, M.D.
OBJECTIVE: The authors used a low-dose dexamethasone suppression test to examine the effect of a PTSD risk factor, parental PTSD, on cortisol negative feedback inhibition in adult offspring of Holocaust survivors with PTSD (N=13) versus without PTSD (N=12) as well as a comparison group of offspring whose parents had no Holocaust exposure (N=16). METHOD: Blood samples were obtained at 8:00 a.m. for the determination of baseline cortisol. Participants ingested 0.5 mg of dexamethasone at 11:00 p.m., and blood samples were obtained again at 8:00 a.m. the following day. RESULTS: Enhanced cortisol suppression in response to dexamethasone was associated primarily with parental PTSD status, with minimal contribution of subjects own trauma-related symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced cortisol negative feedback inhibition may be associated with PTSD because it is related to the PTSD risk factor of parental PTSD.
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