Adrenocortical Responsiveness to Infusions of Physiological Doses of ACTH is not Altered in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract Early studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) reported that abnormal function of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA) system was associated with the disorder. However, subsequent studies attempting to identify a specific aspect of HPA dysfunction that characterizes PTSD have been marked by considerable inconsistency of results. A facet of HPA regulation that has been considered but not definitively investigated is the possibility that the responsiveness of the adrenal cortex to physiological concentrations of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) is diminished in PTSD. Relationships between