Neuroendocrine response to CRF stimulation in veterans with and without PTSD in consideration of war zone era

A uniform pattern of PTSD-related alterations in the response to intravenous CRF was not found. Rather, PTSD-related alterations were found only in veterans of the 1991 Gulf War, and were characterized by an enhanced pituitary response to CRF which may reflect increased sensitivity of pituitary corticotrophs or CRF hyposecretion. Together with previous neuroendocrine findings, the data suggest the HPA axis is dysregulated in Gulf War veterans in unique ways which may reflect the long-term effects of environmental exposures in addition to disease effects. Further work is needed to characterize these effects and their impact on long-term psychological and medical outcomes.