Cortisol, but not intranasal insulin, affects the central processing of visual food cues

in Psychoneuroendocrinology (2014), 50(C), 311-320

Stress glucocorticoids and insulin are important endocrine regulators of energy homeostasis, but little is known about their central interaction on the reward-related processing of food cues. According to ... [more ▼]

Stress glucocorticoids and insulin are important endocrine regulators of energy homeostasis, but little is known about their central interaction on the reward-related processing of food cues. According to a balanced group design, healthy food deprived men received either 40 IU intranasal insulin (n=13), 30 mg oral cortisol (n=12), both (n=15), or placebo (n=14). Acoustic startle responsiveness was assessed during presentation of food and non-food pictures. Cortisol enhanced startle responsiveness during visual presentation of "high glycemic" food, but not during presentation of neutral and pleasant non-food pictures. Insulin had no effect. Based on the "frustrative non-reward" model these results suggest that the reward value of high glycemic food items is specifically increased by cortisol. [less ▲]

Acoustic startle reflex in the processing of reward related food cues during food deprivation: evidence from men and women

in Psychophysiology (2013), 50(Supplement 1), 121

Cortisol rapidly disrupts prepulse inhibition in healthy men

in Psychoneuroendocrinology (2011), 36(1), 109-114

Rapid impairment of sensorimotor gating by stress-level cortisol

in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience (2009)

Rasche, nicht-genomische Effekte von minimalen Cortisoldosen auf die Baroreflexkontrolle der Herzrate

in Widmann, A.; Andersen, S. K.; Friederici, A. D. (Eds.) et al 35. Arbeitstagung Psychophysiologie und Methodik (2009)