This Article Abstract Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Åhs, F. Articles by Fredrikson, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Åhs, F. Articles by Fredrikson, M. Related Collections Neuroendocrine Anxiety Radiology and Brain Imaging

Hypothalamic Blood Flow Correlates Positively With Stress-Induced Cortisol Levels in Subjects With Social Anxiety Disorder

From the Departments of Psychology (F.Å., T.F., M.F.) and Neuroscience (Å.M.), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Uppsala Imanet AB (B.L., L.A.), Uppsala, Sweden; the Department of Psychology (O.T.W.), University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany; and Biopsychology (C.K.), Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany.

View larger version (11K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 1. A scatter plot of mean salivary cortisol levels from after the two speeches and mean hypothalamic regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during the two speeches showing a positive correlation (r = 0.68, p = .014) consistent with an excitatory influence of hypothalamic activity on cortisol excretion.

View larger version (44K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 2. Sagittal images from the exploratory analysis illustrating a positive covariation (A) between stress induced salivary cortisol levels and regional cerebral blood flow in a midbrain cluster ranging from the thalamus to the hypothalamus and extending into the brain stem pons. A negative covariation (B) was observed in the medial prefrontal cortex (Brodmann areas 9, 10, and 32) and in the motor and premotor cortices (Brodmann areas 4 and 6).