Cushing's disease is described as too much cortisone production. This leads to irritability.

• A. Insulin
• B. Adrenaline
• C. Cortisone
• D. Cortisol

Answer: (C)

Excess glucocorticoids, particularly cortisol, are what drive the mood changes seen in Cushing’s disease. Cortisol is the body's main stress hormone, and when it is produced in excess it can affect mood and behavior, leading to irritability along with other symptoms. Cortisol is the active hormone responsible for these effects, whereas cortisone is a related but inactive form that the body can convert to cortisol in tissues. The other substances listed don't match the chronic hormonal driver of the irritability observed in Cushing’s—insulin regulates blood sugar, adrenaline (epinephrine) is tied to immediate fight-or-flight responses, and cortisone itself isn’t the primary cause of the irritability. So the hormone linked to the irritability in Cushing’s disease is cortisol.