Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (678 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
An adrenocortical steroid that has modest but significant activities as a mineralocorticoid and a glucocorticoid. (From Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 8th ed, p1437)
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Pregnenediones; 11-Hydroxycorticosteroids
- Narrower topics
- 18-Hydroxycorticosterone
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 28,390 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Corticosterone” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 2,644 of them (9.3%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 14,290 records.
Reviews account for 528 records (1.9%) and meta-analyses for 10. Randomized controlled trials number 52 (0.2%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 14,290 |
| 2000-2009 | 5,448 |
| 2010-2019 | 6,008 |
| 2020 onward | 2,644 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 528 | 1.9% |
| Meta-analyses | 10 | 0.0% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 52 | 0.2% |
Method: PubMed query "Corticosterone"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals
Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The stressed brain of humans and rodents | 2018 | Review article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 148 | cc by PMID 29575542 · DOI · PMC5969253 |
| Structural basis of organic cation transporter-3 inhibition | 2022 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 73 | cc by PMID 36344565 · DOI · PMC9640557 |
| Chronic corticosterone administration induces negative valence and impairs positive valence behaviors in mice | 2019 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 66 | cc by PMID 31822658 · DOI · PMC6904464 |
| Corticosterone Under Experimental Manipulation of Nutrition and Parasite Burden in a Wild Rodent System | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 0 | cc by PMID 42337970 · DOI · PMC13353635 |
The stressed brain of humans and rodents [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- After stress, the brain is exposed to waves of stress mediators, including corticosterone (in rodents) and cortisol (in humans).
- Closing excerpt
- Studies in rodents point to the possibility to prevent or reverse long-term consequences of early life adversity on cognitive processing, by normalizing the balance between the two receptor types for corticosteroid hormones at a critical moment just before the onset of puberty.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (191 words)
After stress, the brain is exposed to waves of stress mediators, including corticosterone (in rodents) and cortisol (in humans). Corticosteroid hormones affect neuronal physiology in two time-domains: rapid, non-genomic actions primarily via mineralocorticoid receptors; and delayed genomic effects via glucocorticoid receptors. In parallel, cognitive processing is affected by stress hormones. Directly after stress, emotional behaviour involving the amygdala is strongly facilitated with cognitively a strong emphasis on the "now" and "self," at the cost of higher cognitive processing. This enables the organism to quickly and adequately respond to the situation at hand. Several hours later, emotional circuits are dampened while functions related to the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus are promoted. This allows the individual to rationalize the stressful event and place it in the right context, which is beneficial in the long run. The brain's response to stress depends on an individual's genetic background in interaction with life events. Studies in rodents point to the possibility to prevent or reverse long-term consequences of early life adversity on cognitive processing, by normalizing the balance between the two receptor types for corticosteroid hormones at a critical moment just before the onset of puberty.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 29575542 · DOI · PMC5969253
Structural basis of organic cation transporter-3 inhibition [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Organic cation transporters (OCTs) facilitate the translocation of catecholamines, drugs and xenobiotics across the plasma membrane in various tissues throughout the human body.
- Closing excerpt
- In addition, we relate the functional characteristics of an extensive collection of previously uncharacterized human genetic variants to structural features, thereby providing a basis for understanding the impact of OCT3 polymorphisms.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (132 words)
Organic cation transporters (OCTs) facilitate the translocation of catecholamines, drugs and xenobiotics across the plasma membrane in various tissues throughout the human body. OCT3 plays a key role in low-affinity, high-capacity uptake of monoamines in most tissues including heart, brain and liver. Its deregulation plays a role in diseases. Despite its importance, the structural basis of OCT3 function and its inhibition has remained enigmatic. Here we describe the cryo-EM structure of human OCT3 at 3.2 Å resolution. Structures of OCT3 bound to two inhibitors, corticosterone and decynium-22, define the ligand binding pocket and reveal common features of major facilitator transporter inhibitors. In addition, we relate the functional characteristics of an extensive collection of previously uncharacterized human genetic variants to structural features, thereby providing a basis for understanding the impact of OCT3 polymorphisms.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 36344565 · DOI · PMC9640557
Chronic corticosterone administration induces negative valence and impairs positive valence behaviors in mice [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Behavioral approaches utilizing rodents to study mood disorders have focused primarily on negative valence behaviors associated with potential threat (anxiety-related behaviors).
- Closing excerpt
- These data suggest that CORT administration is a useful experimental system for preclinical approaches to studying stress-induced mood disorders.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (186 words)
Behavioral approaches utilizing rodents to study mood disorders have focused primarily on negative valence behaviors associated with potential threat (anxiety-related behaviors). However, for disorders such as depression, positive valence behaviors that assess reward processing may be more translationally valid and predictive of antidepressant treatment outcome. Chronic corticosterone (CORT) administration is a well-validated pharmacological stressor that increases avoidance in negative valence behaviors associated with anxiety1-4. However, whether chronic stress paradigms such as CORT administration also lead to deficits in positive valence behaviors remains unclear. We treated male C57BL/6J mice with chronic CORT and assessed both negative and positive valence behaviors. We found that CORT induced avoidance in the open field and NSF. Interestingly, CORT also impaired instrumental acquisition, reduced sensitivity to a devalued outcome, reduced breakpoint in progressive ratio, and impaired performance in probabilistic reversal learning. Taken together, these results demonstrate that chronic CORT administration at the same dosage both induces avoidance in negative valence behaviors associated with anxiety and impairs positive valence behaviors associated with reward processing. These data suggest that CORT administration is a useful experimental system for preclinical approaches to studying stress-induced mood disorders.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 31822658 · DOI · PMC6904464
Corticosterone Under Experimental Manipulation of Nutrition and Parasite Burden in a Wild Rodent System [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Environmental pressures shape survival and life-history dynamics partly by triggering the release of glucocorticoids, whose short-term benefits but long-term costs make it essential to understand what drives their levels.
- Closing excerpt
- Thus, alleviating some environmental stressors in the wild may have unintended consequences on host fitness.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (169 words)
Environmental pressures shape survival and life-history dynamics partly by triggering the release of glucocorticoids, whose short-term benefits but long-term costs make it essential to understand what drives their levels. Here, we used an experimental manipulation of two environmental stressors-food availability and parasite burden-to directly test how they influence fecal corticosterone metabolites (FCMs) in wild wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus). To do so, we experimentally altered nutrition via high-quality food supplementation and reduced gastrointestinal nematode infection by anthelmintic treatment, using Heligmosomoides polygyrus as an indicator of treatment efficacy. FCM levels were not impacted by either treatment. However, our results may be mediated by variation in resource availability or masked by other factors that affect corticosterone. For example, FCMs declined seasonally, alongside a decline in the number of reproducing individuals. While we expected higher food availability and lower worm burdens to decrease stress, putatively higher rates of reproduction in food-supplemented areas may offset potential declines in corticosterone. Thus, alleviating some environmental stressors in the wild may have unintended consequences on host fitness.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42337970 · DOI · PMC13353635
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Non-invasive measurement of glucocorticoids: Advances and problems [5]
- Research article Rapid non-genomic effects of corticosteroids and their role in the central stress response [6]
- Research article Stress-induced augmentation of immune function--the role of stress hormones, leukocyte trafficking, and cytokines [7]
- Research article Corticosterone effects on BDNF expression in the hippocampus. Implications for memory formation [8]
- Research article Stress response and the value of reproduction: are birds prudent parents? [9]
- Research article Hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus: interaction between alpha 2-noradrenergic system and circulating hormones and nutrients in relation to energy balance [10]
References
- Joëls M, Karst H, Sarabdjitsingh RA. The stressed brain of humans and rodents. . 2018. PMID 29575542 · DOI · PMC5969253
- Khanppnavar B, Maier J, Herborg F, Gradisch R, Lazzarin E, Luethi D, et al.. Structural basis of organic cation transporter-3 inhibition. . 2022. PMID 36344565 · DOI · PMC9640557
- Dieterich A, Srivastava P, Sharif A, Stech K, Floeder J, Yohn SE, et al.. Chronic corticosterone administration induces negative valence and impairs positive valence behaviors in mice. . 2019. PMID 31822658 · DOI · PMC6904464
- Wolf SE, Dłużniewska O, Babayan SA, Pedersen AB, Little TJ. Corticosterone Under Experimental Manipulation of Nutrition and Parasite Burden in a Wild Rodent System. . 2026. PMID 42337970 · DOI · PMC13353635
- Palme R. Non-invasive measurement of glucocorticoids: Advances and problems. Physiol Behav. 2019. PMID 30468744 · DOI
- Groeneweg FL, Karst H, de Kloet ER, Joëls M. Rapid non-genomic effects of corticosteroids and their role in the central stress response. J Endocrinol. 2011. PMID 21357682 · DOI
- Dhabhar FS. Stress-induced augmentation of immune function--the role of stress hormones, leukocyte trafficking, and cytokines. Brain Behav Immun. 2002. PMID 12480507 · DOI
- Schaaf MJ, De Kloet ER, Vreugdenhil E. Corticosterone effects on BDNF expression in the hippocampus. Implications for memory formation. Stress. 2000. PMID 10938581 · DOI
- Bókony V, Lendvai AZ, Liker A, Angelier F, Wingfield JC, Chastel O. Stress response and the value of reproduction: are birds prudent parents?. Am Nat. 2009. PMID 19281425 · DOI
- Leibowitz SF. Hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus: interaction between alpha 2-noradrenergic system and circulating hormones and nutrients in relation to energy balance. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 1988. PMID 2845312 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.