Sex-specific association between functional neuropeptide S receptor gene (NPSR1) variants and cortisol and central stress responses.

•Two independent cohorts with n=277 and n=65 healthy females and males.•Two different stress paradigms (TSST and ScanSTRESS), with one being used in the MRI scanner.•Exploratory converging evidence from both substudies for the view that genetic variation in the neuropeptide S receptor gene modulates both cortisol responses to acute stress as well as neural stress processing in a sex-specific manner.