Corticosterone and Anxiety

Numerous animal studies continue to expand our knowledge of the role corticosterone plays in anxiety and depression. Balancing cortisol, reducing large spikes between high and low levels, is a promising way to help limit anxiety, and the concomitant cognitive impairment that can follow.

In-home testing, using a smartphone and a 'simple' testing device from iCalQ can help people chart cortisol levels and take appropriate steps (meditation, supplementation, exercise, etc.) to reduce cortisol.

Following are some observations from Stress and anxiety: Structural plasticity and epigenetic regulation as a consequence of stress

Bruce S. McEwen, Ph.D., Lisa Eiland, M.D., Richard G. Hunter, Ph.D, and Melinda M.
Miller, Ph.D.

Neuropharmacology. 2012 January ; 62(1): 3–12  


"Moreover, chronic corticosterone treatment in the drinking water produces an anxiogenic effect that could be due to the glucocorticoid enhancement of CRF activity in the amygdala."

Acute vs chronic stress effects
Responses to acute and chronic stress in both the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex present challenges to our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms. In the amygdala, while chronic stress causes dendrites in the basolateral amygdala to increase in length along with increased spine density on dendrites, a single acute stress to a naïve rat causes increased spine density without increased dendritic branching or length after a 10d interval. The former increase in dendritic length after chronic stress can be mimicked by a single, acute injection of a large dose of glucocorticoids. Yet, in relation to the effect of the single traumatic stressor, glucocorticoid presence before the traumatic stressor prevents the delayed increase in dendritic spines. This raises, again, the important issue that both glucocorticoid dose and timing are important for the outcome. Since actions of adrenal steroids can directly or indirectly affect gene expression through direct interactions with response elements or indirect signaling via second messenger pathways, the regulation of gene expression may provide some clues. So far the hippocampus has begun to provide some insights.