Bigger is not better: cortisol-induced cardiac growth and dysfunction in salmonids

This is a Published Manuscript of an article published by Company of Biologists in Journal of Experimental Biology, available online: http://www.biologists.com/ Stress and elevated cortisol levels are associated with pathological heart growth and cardiovascular disease in humans and other mammals. We recently established a link between heritable variation in post-stress cortisol production and cardiac growth also in salmonid fish. A conserved stimulatory effect of the otherwise catabolic steroid hormone cortisol is likely implied, but has to date not been established experimentally. Furthermore, whereas cardiac growth is associated with failure of the mammalian heart, pathological cardiac h…