Harold Persky

Relation of psychologic measures of aggression and hostility to testosterone production in man.

&NA; Plasma testosterone level and testosterone production rate were determined in a group of 18 healthy young men, 15 healthy older men and 6 hospitalized dysphoric male patients. A battery of anxiety, depression and hostility tests were administered simultaneously. Production rate of testosterone was found to be highly correlated with a measure of aggression derived from the Buss‐Durkee Hostility Inventory in the younger men. Age, on the other hand, was the principal correlant of production rate in the older group. A multivariate regression equation was obtained between testosterone production rate and four psychologic measures of aggression and hostility which accounted for 82% of the variance in the production rate of testosterone for the younger group. This equation was not valid for the older men.

The Effect of Hydrocortisone Infusion on Hypnotically Induced Anxiety

&NA; In a double‐blind study, experimental subjects were infused with heavy loads of plasma hydrocortisone while control subjects received an appropriate placebo. Anxiety was then induced in all subjects by means of hypnotic suggestions. No mean differences between groups were found on three psychological measures of anxiety. The data suggest that anxiety tended to persist after its hypnotic relief in the subjects receiving the hormone infusion and was more rapidly dispelled in placebo subjects. Tentative conclusions are: (1) the anxiety stimulus has a prepotent effect on the subjective anxiety level, and the effect of plasma hydrocortisone alone is relatively small; (2) a highly elevated level of the hormone may mediate a prolongation of the duration of the anxiety experience.

Tetrahydrocortisol/tetrahydrocortisone ratio (H4F/H4E) as an indicator of depressive feelings.

&NA; Tetrahydrocortisol (H4F) and tetrahydrocortisone (H4E) were determined for a group of 15 depressed patients and 25 normal controls following the administration of cortisol‐4‐C14. The ratio, H4F/H4E, was significantly greater for the depressed patients than for the normal controls (P < 0.001), although the sum of the two metabolites, H4F + H4E, was not significantly different. Three of four objective test measures of depressive feelings likewise discriminated between the two groups. All four depression measures correlated significantly with the H4F/H4E ratio at the 0.01 level or better. It is suggested that the data of the present report and those of Zumoff et al. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 39:1120, 1974) may be explained by the paradigm: depressive feelings → reduced thyroid function → elevated H4F/H4E ratio.

Effect of Anxiety on the Akerfeldt Test

Acute anxiety episodes do not significantly alter the lag time of the Akerfeldt test, serum ceruloplasmin level, or serum ascorbic acid level in man.

Relation of Rorschach factors and plasma hydrocortisone level in hypnotically induced anxiety

&NA; Plasma hydrocortisone was determined under hypnosis and following a hypnotically induced anxiety state in 12 normal subjects. At the same times, Rorschach tests were administered. The change in level of PHC is significantly correlated with 3 of 26 factors scored on the Rorschach test. The three factors are response determined only by color (Pure C), popular response (P), and percentage of good form response (F+%). The correlations are in the predicted direction, Pure C being positive and the other two negative. Five other Rorschach factors known to be significantly elevated following a hypnotically induced anxiety state and which are indexes of neurotic anxiety did not achieve a significant correlation with the change in hormone level. It is suggested that the appearance of the three prepsychotic indicators is dependent on an increased level of circulating hydrocortisone.