Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced in the adrenal cortez of the adrenal medulla. It has many different functions in the body including, but not limited to higher blood glucose, and regulated metabolism. However, sometimes cortisol levels become too high and can cause levels of stress and anxiety. People with Cushing’s disease have been exposed to high levels of cortisol for a long time. On the opposite spectrum, Addison’s disease is a condition where cortisol levels are too low, and because of this, they rarely feel stress and as a result are unmotivated individuals.
Cortisol is also part of a feedback loop including CRH produced in the hypothalamus, and ACTH, produced in the anterior pituitary. When the cortisol levels are high, it negatively feedbacks/inhibits CRH levels and when cortisol levels are too low, it is not strong enough to have a negative feedback loop on CRH.
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