Disturbances of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning during ethanol withdrawal in six men.

Objective: Excessive exposure to glucocorticoids can have neurotoxic effects. The behavioral, cognitive, and neurochemical changes observed following the cessation of heavy drinking, therefore, may be associated with disturbances of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA] axis. To investigate HPA axis disturbances during the ethanol withdrawal syndrome, the authors examined diurnal changes in plasma cortisol in six alcohol-dependent men following the abrupt discontinuation of alcohol intake