Exogenous glucocorticoids act within the hindbrain to enhance the arterial pressure response to acute novel stress. Here we tested the hypothesis that endogenous glucocorticoids act at hindbrain glucocorticoid receptors (GR) to augment cardiovascular responses to restraint stress in a model of stress hyperreactivity, the borderline hypertensive rat (BHR). A 3-to 4-mg pellet of the GR antagonist mifepristone (Mif) was implanted over the dorsal hindbrain (DHB) in WistarKyoto (WKY) and BHRs. Control pellets consisted of either sham DHB or subcutaneous Mif pellets. Rats were either subjected to repeated restraint stress (chronic stress) or only handled (acute stress) for 3-4 wk, then all rats were stressed on the final day of the experiment. BHR showed limited adaptation of the arterial pressure response to restraint, and DHB Mif significantly (P Յ 0.05) attenuated the arterial pressure response to restraint in both acutely and chronically stressed BHR. In contrast, WKY exhibited a substantial adaptation of the pressure response to repeated restraint that was significantly reversed by DHB Mif. DHB Mif and chronic stress each significantly increased baseline plasma corticosterone concentration and adrenal weight and reduced the corticosterone response to stress in all rats. We conclude that endogenous corticosterone acts via hindbrain GR to enhance the arterial pressure response to stress in BHR, but to promote the adaptation of the arterial pressure response to stress in normotensive rats. Endogenous corticosterone also acts in the hindbrain to restrain corticosterone at rest but to maintain the corticosterone response to stress in both BHR and WKY rats. corticosterone; brain; nucleus of the solitary tract; hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal axis; chronic stress EXAGGERATED CARDIOVASCULAR responses to acute stress and chronic stress increase the risk for hypertension and cardiovascular disease (1,3,13,15,31,38,42,58,68). Acute stress rapidly increases blood pressure, heart rate, plasma glucocorticoid concentration, and blood glucose levels (8), while chronic or repeated stress is associated with increases in baseline blood pressure and glucocorticoids (17). Chronically elevated glucocorticoids increase morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease and alterations in the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and in glucocorticoid metabolizing enzymes are associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease in humans (28,30,35,36,39,48,49,61, 65,67,70,71). Thus, chronic stress-induced elevations in glucocorticoids likely contribute to the adverse effects of stress on cardiovascular health.The mechanisms by which glucocorticoids modulate cardiovascular stress responses are not fully understood. A review by Sapolsky et al. (52) concluded that glucocorticoids act permissively to enhance the arterial pressure response to many physical stressors, in part by supporting the peripheral effects of catecholamines. Other studies indicate that chronic, systemic elevations in glucocorticoids enhance cardiovascular and catecholamine re...