Effects of circulating estradiol on physiological, behavioural, and subjective correlates of anxiety: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
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Effects of circulating estradiol on physiological, behavioural, and subjective correlates of anxiety: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. / Nouri, Sawis; Biedermann, Sarah V; Joue, Gina; Auer, Matthias K; Sommer, Tobias; Fuss, Johannes.
in: PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINO, Jahrgang 138, 105682, 04.2022.Publikationen: SCORING: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift/Zeitung › SCORING: Zeitschriftenaufsatz › Forschung › Begutachtung
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of circulating estradiol on physiological, behavioural, and subjective correlates of anxiety: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
AU - Nouri, Sawis
AU - Biedermann, Sarah V
AU - Joue, Gina
AU - Auer, Matthias K
AU - Sommer, Tobias
AU - Fuss, Johannes
N1 - Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/4
Y1 - 2022/4
N2 - Anxiety-related behaviours as well as the prevalence of anxiety disorders show a large sex difference in humans. Clinical studies in humans as well as behavioural studies in rodents suggest that estradiol may have anxiolytic properties. In line with this, anxiety symptoms fluctuate with estradiol levels along the menstrual cycle. However, the influence of estradiol on subjective, behavioural, as well as physiological correlates of anxiety has never been systematically addressed in humans. We ran a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study (N = 126) to investigate the effects of estradiol on anxiety in men and women. In healthy volunteers, circulating estradiol levels were elevated through estradiol administration over two consecutive days to simulate the rise in estradiol levels around ovulation. Subjective, behavioral, as well as, physiological correlates of anxiety were assessed using a virtual reality elevated plus-maze (EPM). Estradiol treatment reduced the physiological stress response with blunted heart rate response and lower cortisol levels compared to placebo treatment in both sexes. In contrast, respiration frequency was only reduced in women after estradiol treatment. Behavioural measures of anxiety as well as subjective anxiety on the EPM were not affected by estradiol treatment. In general, women showed more avoidance and less approach behavior and reported higher subjective anxiety levels on the EPM than men. These results highlight the limited anxiolytic properties of circulating levels of estradiol in humans, which influence physiological markers of anxiety but not approach and avoidance behaviour or subjective anxiety levels.
AB - Anxiety-related behaviours as well as the prevalence of anxiety disorders show a large sex difference in humans. Clinical studies in humans as well as behavioural studies in rodents suggest that estradiol may have anxiolytic properties. In line with this, anxiety symptoms fluctuate with estradiol levels along the menstrual cycle. However, the influence of estradiol on subjective, behavioural, as well as physiological correlates of anxiety has never been systematically addressed in humans. We ran a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study (N = 126) to investigate the effects of estradiol on anxiety in men and women. In healthy volunteers, circulating estradiol levels were elevated through estradiol administration over two consecutive days to simulate the rise in estradiol levels around ovulation. Subjective, behavioral, as well as, physiological correlates of anxiety were assessed using a virtual reality elevated plus-maze (EPM). Estradiol treatment reduced the physiological stress response with blunted heart rate response and lower cortisol levels compared to placebo treatment in both sexes. In contrast, respiration frequency was only reduced in women after estradiol treatment. Behavioural measures of anxiety as well as subjective anxiety on the EPM were not affected by estradiol treatment. In general, women showed more avoidance and less approach behavior and reported higher subjective anxiety levels on the EPM than men. These results highlight the limited anxiolytic properties of circulating levels of estradiol in humans, which influence physiological markers of anxiety but not approach and avoidance behaviour or subjective anxiety levels.
U2 - 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105682
DO - 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105682
M3 - SCORING: Journal article
C2 - 35123210
VL - 138
JO - PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINO
JF - PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINO
SN - 0306-4530
M1 - 105682
ER -