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Tkaczynski PJ, Mafessoni F, Girard-Buttoz C, Samuni L, Ackermann CY, Fedurek P, Gomes C, Hobaiter C, Löhrich T, Manin V, Preis A, Valé PD, Wessling EG, Wittiger L, Zommers Z, Zuberbuehler K, Vigilant L, Deschner T, Wittig RM, Crockford C. Shared community effects and the non-genetic maternal environment shape cortisol levels in wild chimpanzees. Commun Biol 2023; 6:565. [PMID: 37237178 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04909-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms of inheritance remain poorly defined for many fitness-mediating traits, especially in long-lived animals with protracted development. Using 6,123 urinary samples from 170 wild chimpanzees, we examined the contributions of genetics, non-genetic maternal effects, and shared community effects on variation in cortisol levels, an established predictor of survival in long-lived primates. Despite evidence for consistent individual variation in cortisol levels across years, between-group effects were more influential and made an overwhelming contribution to variation in this trait. Focusing on within-group variation, non-genetic maternal effects accounted for 8% of the individual differences in average cortisol levels, significantly more than that attributable to genetic factors, which was indistinguishable from zero. These maternal effects are consistent with a primary role of a shared environment in shaping physiology. For chimpanzees, and perhaps other species with long life histories, community and maternal effects appear more relevant than genetic inheritance in shaping key physiological traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Tkaczynski
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
| | - Fabrizio Mafessoni
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Cédric Girard-Buttoz
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- The Ape Social Mind Lab, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5229, Lyon, France
| | - Liran Samuni
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Corinne Y Ackermann
- Universite de Neuchatel, Institut de Biologie, Cognition Compare, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Pawel Fedurek
- Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Cristina Gomes
- Tropical Conservation Institute, Institute of Environment, College of Arts, Science and Education, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Catherine Hobaiter
- Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Therese Löhrich
- World Wide Fund for Nature, Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas, BP 1053, Bangui, Central African Republic
- Robert Koch Institute, Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Berlin, Germany
| | - Virgile Manin
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Anna Preis
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Prince D Valé
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Unité de Formation et de Recherche Agroferesterie, Université Jean Lorougnon Guédé, Daloa, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Erin G Wessling
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Zinta Zommers
- Perry World House, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Klaus Zuberbuehler
- Universite de Neuchatel, Institut de Biologie, Cognition Compare, Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Linda Vigilant
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Comparative BioCognition, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Roman M Wittig
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- The Ape Social Mind Lab, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5229, Lyon, France
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- The Ape Social Mind Lab, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS UMR 5229, Lyon, France
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2
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Brendgen M, Ouellet-Morin I, Cantave CY, Vitaro F, Dionne G, Boivin M. Link Between Peer Victimization in College and Cortisol Secretion: Roles of Genetic Vulnerabilities and Social Support. J Youth Adolesc 2023; 52:76-90. [PMID: 36242698 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-022-01687-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
It is unclear whether peer victimization in college interacts with genetic vulnerabilities or social support in predicting cortisol secretion. This issue was addressed using a sample of 162 Monozygotic and 237 Dizygotic twin pairs (54% females; 86% Whites, 6% Blacks, 6% Asians, 0.3% Native North Americans). At age 19, participants provided hair for cortisol extraction and reported about victimization in college and support by the mother, father, and best friend. Biometric modeling revealed that environmental influences on cortisol secretion were reduced and genetic influences exacerbated when victimization was high. Moderate to high maternal support mitigated the association between victimization and high cortisol secretion. The findings suggest that victimization in college contributes to physical "wear-and-tear", which may be counteracted by social support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Brendgen
- Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montréal, QC, Canada. .,Ste-Justine Hospital Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | - Isabelle Ouellet-Morin
- School of Criminology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Studies on Human Stress, Montreal Mental Health University Institute, Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Christina Y Cantave
- School of Criminology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Centre for Studies on Human Stress, Montreal Mental Health University Institute, Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Frank Vitaro
- Ste-Justine Hospital Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada.,School of Psycho-Education, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Ginette Dionne
- School of Psychology, Laval University, Quebec, QC, Canada
| | - Michel Boivin
- School of Psychology, Laval University, Quebec, QC, Canada
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3
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Raffington L, Malanchini M, Grotzinger AD, Madole JW, Engelhardt LE, Sabhlok A, Youn C, Patterson MW, Harden KP, Tucker-Drob EM. An in-laboratory stressor reveals unique genetic variation in child cortisol output. Dev Psychol 2022; 58:1832-1848. [PMID: 35771497 PMCID: PMC9878466 DOI: 10.1037/dev0001393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Dysregulation of biological stress response, as measured by cortisol output, has been a primary candidate mechanism for how social experiences become biologically embedded. Cortisol is the primary output of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. Cortisol levels vary systematically across the day and change in response to both sudden, acute stress experiences as well as prolonged exposure to environmental stress. Using data from 8- to 15-year-old twins in the Texas Twin Project, we investigate the extent to which genetic influences are shared across different measures of cortisol output: chronic cortisol accumulations in hair (n = 1,104), diurnal variation in salivary output (n = 488), and salivary response to a standardized, acute in-laboratory stressor (n = 537). Multivariate twin models indicate that genetic factors regulating cortisol response to the in-laboratory stressor are separable from those regulating baseline cortisol levels, naturally occurring diurnal variation in cortisol, and hair cortisol levels. These findings illustrate that novel environments can reveal unique genetic variation, reordering people in terms of their observed phenotype rather than only magnifying or mitigating preexisting differences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel Raffington
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, United States
| | - Margherita Malanchini
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, United States
- Department of Biological and Experimental Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, UK
| | | | - James W. Madole
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, United States
| | | | - Aditi Sabhlok
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, United States
| | - Cherry Youn
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, United States
| | | | - K. Paige Harden
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, United States
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4
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Runze J, Euser S, Oosterman M, Dolan CV, Koopman-Verhoeff ME, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ. Actigraphic sleep and cortisol in middle childhood: A multivariate behavioral genetics model. COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY 2021; 8:100094. [PMID: 35757668 PMCID: PMC9216557 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2021.100094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, behavioral genetic studies investigated either sleep or cortisol levels in middle childhood, but not both simultaneously. Therefore, a pertinent question is the degree to which genetic factors and environmental factor contribute to the correlation between sleep and cortisol levels. To address this question, we employed the classical twin design. We measured sleep in 6-9-year-old twins (N = 436 twin pairs, “Together Unique” study) over four consecutive nights using actigraphy, and we measured morning cortisol on two consecutive days. Sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and wake episodes were used as indicators of sleep. Morning cortisol level was used as cortisol indicator. A structural equation model was fitted to estimate the contribution of additive genetic effects (A), shared (common) environmental effects, (C) and unique environmental effects (E) to phenotypic variances and covariances. Age, cohort, and sex were included as covariates. The heritability of sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and wake episodes were 52%, 45%, and 55%, respectively. Common environmental factors played no significant role. High genetic correlations between sleep duration and sleep efficiency and high genetic correlations between sleep efficiency and wake episodes were found. Shared environmental (29%) and unique environmental factors (53%) explained the variance in morning cortisol levels. Because the sleep and cortisol measures were found to be uncorrelated, we did not consider genetic and environmental contributions to the association between the sleep and cortisol measures. Our findings indicate that sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and wake episodes in children are mostly impacted by genetic factors and by unique environmental factors (including measurement error). Sleep duration, efficiency and wake episodes are moderately heritable. A high genetic correlation underlies sleep duration and sleep efficiency. A high genetic correlation underlies sleep efficiency and wake episodes. Cortisol and sleep were not (genetically) correlated.
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Iob E, Baldwin JR, Plomin R, Steptoe A. Adverse childhood experiences, daytime salivary cortisol, and depressive symptoms in early adulthood: a longitudinal genetically informed twin study. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:420. [PMID: 34354040 PMCID: PMC8342545 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01538-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis function might underlie the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depression. However, limited research has examined the possible mediating role of the HPA-axis among young people using longitudinal data. Moreover, it remains unclear whether genetic influences could contribute to these associations. Participants were 290 children from the Twins Early Development Study. ACEs were assessed from age 3-11 years. We calculated a cumulative risk score and also derived different ACEs clusters using factor analysis and latent class analysis. HPA-axis activity was indexed by daytime salivary cortisol at age 11. Depressive symptoms were ascertained at age 21. Genetic liability to altered cortisol levels and elevated depressive symptoms was measured using a twin-based method. We performed causal mediation analysis with mixed-effects regression models. The results showed that ACEs cumulative exposure (b = -0.20, p = 0.03), bullying (b = -0.61, p = 0.01), and emotional abuse (b = -0.84, p = 0.02) were associated with lower cortisol levels at age 11. Among participants exposed to multiple ACEs, lower cortisol was related to higher depressive symptoms at age 21 (b = -0.56, p = 0.05). Lower cortisol levels mediated around 10-20% of the total associations of ACEs cumulative exposure, bullying, and dysfunctional parenting/emotional abuse with higher depressive symptoms. Genetic factors contributed to these associations, but the mediation effects of cortisol in the associations of ACEs cumulative exposure (b = 0.16 [0.02-0.34]) and bullying (b = 0.18 [0.01-0.43]) remained when genetic confounding was accounted for. In conclusion, ACEs were linked to elevated depressive symptoms in early adulthood partly through lower cortisol levels in early adolescence, and these relationships were independent of genetic confounding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Iob
- Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Healthcare, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Jessie R. Baldwin
- grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK ,grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Robert Plomin
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Andrew Steptoe
- grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Healthcare, University College London, London, UK
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6
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Genetic and environmental influences on cortisol reactivity to a psychosocial stressor in adolescents and young adults. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2021; 127:105195. [PMID: 33714784 PMCID: PMC8186845 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Individuals vary in their response to psychological and physiological stressors, and this reactivity can be captured using measures of cortisol. Previous research suggests cortisol reactivity is under some degree of genetic control; however, the measures used have varied widely. This study (N = 524) examined potential differences in heritability across varying cortisol metrics of stress reactivity following the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and whether these measures are genetically or environmentally interrelated. Participants included twins aged 15-20 years (56% female). Cortisol reactivity to the TSST was assessed via serial salivary cortisol samples collected pre- and post-TSST. Modest to moderate heritability estimates (12% [95CI: 1-36%] - 45% [95CI: 16-69%]) were observed across measures purported to capture stress reactivity (peak, area under the curve [AUC], baseline-to-peak change). Findings also demonstrate both shared and unique genetic and environmental influences between baseline cortisol and cortisol reactivity. Minimal to no additional genetic innovations above and beyond the contributions of peak cortisol were found for other measures of cortisol reactivity such as AUC. This study is one of the largest twin-based samples to examine the heritability of cortisol reactivity, and results suggest that simpler measures of cortisol reactivity demonstrate higher heritability compared to more complex measurements.
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7
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Plieger T, Reuter M. Stress & executive functioning: A review considering moderating factors. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 173:107254. [PMID: 32485224 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
A multitude of studies investigating the effects of stress on cognition has produced an inconsistent picture on whether - and under which conditions - stress has advantageous or disadvantageous effects on executive functions (EF). This review provides a short introduction to the concept of stress and its neurobiology, before discussing the need to consider moderating factors in the association between stress and EF. Three core domains are described and discussed in relation to the interplay between stress and cognition: the influence of different paradigms on physiological stress reactivity, individual differences in demographic and biological factors, and task-related features of cognitive tasks. Although some moderating variables such as the endocrine stress response have frequently been considered in single studies, no attempt of a holistic overview has been made so far. Therefore, we propose a more nuanced and systematic framework to study the effects of stress on executive functioning, comprising a holistic overview from the induction of stress, via biological mechanisms and interactions with individual differences, to the influence of stress on cognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Plieger
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Neurogenetics University of Bonn, Kaiser-Karl-Ring 9, D-53111 Bonn, Germany.
| | - Martin Reuter
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Neurogenetics University of Bonn, Kaiser-Karl-Ring 9, D-53111 Bonn, Germany
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8
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van Keulen BJ, Dolan CV, Andrew R, Walker BR, Hulshoff Pol HE, Boomsma DI, Rotteveel J, Finken MJJ. Heritability of Cortisol Production and Metabolism Throughout Adolescence. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2020; 105:5586817. [PMID: 31608377 PMCID: PMC7046020 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgz016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Inter-individual differences in cortisol production and metabolism emerge with age and may be explained by genetic factors. OBJECTIVE To estimate the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to inter-individual differences in cortisol production and metabolism throughout adolescence. DESIGN Prospective follow-up study of twins. SETTING Nationwide register. PARTICIPANTS 218 mono- and dizygotic twins (N = 109 pairs) born between 1995 amd 1996, recruited from the Netherlands Twin Register. Cortisol metabolites were determined in 213, 169, and 160 urine samples at the ages of 9, 12, and 17, respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The total contribution of genetic factors (broad-sense heritability) and shared and unshared environmental influences to inter-individual differences in cortisol production and activities of 5α-reductase, 5β-reductase, and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases and cytochrome P450 3A4. RESULTS For cortisol production rate at the ages of 9, 12, and 17, broad-sense heritability was estimated as 42%, 30%, and 0%, respectively, and the remainder of the variance was explained by unshared environmental factors. For cortisol metabolism indices, the following heritability was observed: for the A-ring reductases (5α-and 5β-reductases), broad-sense heritability increased with age (to >50%), while for the other indices (renal 11β-HSD2, global 11β-HSD, and CYP3A4), the contribution of genetic factors was highest (68%, 18%, and 67%, respectively) at age 12. CONCLUSIONS The contribution of genetic factors to inter-individual differences in cortisol production decreased between 12 and 17y, indicative of a predominant role of individual circumstances. For cortisol metabolism, distinct patterns of genetic and environmental influences were observed, with heritability that either increased with age or peaked at age 12y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Britt J van Keulen
- Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Pediatric Endocrinology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Correspondence and Requests: Britt J van Keulen, MD, Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Pediatric endocrinology, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail:
| | - Conor V Dolan
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ruth Andrew
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Brian R Walker
- Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, Queen’s Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Hilleke E Hulshoff Pol
- Department of Psychiatry, Brian Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Joost Rotteveel
- Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Pediatric Endocrinology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn J J Finken
- Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Pediatric Endocrinology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Marceau K, Brick LA, Knopik VS, Reijneveld SA. Developmental Pathways from Genetic, Prenatal, Parenting and Emotional/Behavioral Risk to Cortisol Reactivity and Adolescent Substance Use: A TRAILS Study. J Youth Adolesc 2019; 49:17-31. [PMID: 31786769 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-019-01142-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Cortisol reactivity is a frequently studied biomarker of substance use, though infrequently examined in adolescence. However, past research provides evidence that multiple developmental influences, including genetics and both prenatal and postnatal environmental influences, contribute both to cortisol reactivity and adolescent substance use. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of these earlier developmental influences on cortisol reactivity to a social stress challenge and adolescent substance use (smoking, alcohol, and marijuana use frequency assessed at age 16 years), using data from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS; N= 2230 adolescents, 51% female). Developmental pathways included polygenic risk, prenatal stress, warm parenting (age 11), and internalizing and externalizing problems (intercepts and change from 11-16 years). Cortisol reactivity was associated with smoking but not alcohol or marijuana use. Externalizing problems were the stronger predictor of adolescent substance use, but internalizing problems also had an important role. Prenatal stress and middle childhood parenting operated via middle childhood externalizing problems, and parenting also operated via trajectories of growth of externalizing problems in predicting adolescent substance use outcomes. Further, there were protective effects of internalizing problems for alcohol and marijuana use in the context of a more comprehensive model. These developmental influences did not attenuate the association of cortisol reactivity and smoking. These findings suggest a need to understand the broader developmental context regarding the impact of internalizing pathways to substance use, and that it is unlikely that cortisol reactivity and smoking are associated solely because of common developmental influences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Marceau
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, 225 Hanley Hall, 1202 West State St., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
| | - Leslie A Brick
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Valerie S Knopik
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, 225 Hanley Hall, 1202 West State St., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - S A Reijneveld
- Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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10
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Doom JR, Lumeng JC, Sturza J, Kaciroti N, Vazquez DM, Miller AL. Longitudinal associations between overweight/obesity and stress biology in low-income children. Int J Obes (Lond) 2019; 44:646-655. [PMID: 31477784 PMCID: PMC7050333 DOI: 10.1038/s41366-019-0447-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Background/Objectives Associations between overweight and altered stress biology have been reported cross-sectionally during childhood, but it is unclear whether overweight precedes altered stress biology or if altered stress biology predicts greater likelihood of overweight over time. The current longitudinal study investigates associations between overweight/obesity, salivary alpha amylase and cortisol morning intercept, diurnal slope, and reactivity to social stress in a cohort of low-income children during preschool and middle childhood. Subjects/Methods Children were recruited through Head Start and were observed and followed into middle childhood (N = 257; M = 8.0 years). Height and weight were measured at both time points. Saliva samples were collected across the day and in response to a social challenge at both ages for alpha amylase and cortisol determination. Results Cross-lagged panel analyses indicated that overweight/obesity at preschool predicted lower morning alpha amylase (β = −0.18, 95% CI: −0.34, −0.03; p = .023), lower morning cortisol (β = −0.22, 95% CI: −0.38, −0.06; p = .006), lower sAA diurnal slope (β = −0.18, 95% CI: −0.34, −0.03; p = .021), and lower cortisol stress reactivity (β = −0.19, 95% CI: −0.35, −0.02; p = .031) in middle childhood. Lower alpha amylase reactivity at preschool was the only biological factor that predicted higher likelihood of overweight/obesity at middle childhood (β = −0.20, 95% CI: −0.38, −0.01; p = .035). Conclusions These findings suggest that overweight/obesity may be driving changes in stress biology across early to middle childhood, particularly in down-regulation of morning levels of stress hormones, diurnal sAA slope, and cortisol reactivity to stress, rather than stress biology driving overweight/obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenalee R Doom
- Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. .,Center for Human Growth & Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Julie C Lumeng
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Center for Human Growth & Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Julie Sturza
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Center for Human Growth & Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Niko Kaciroti
- Center for Human Growth & Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Delia M Vazquez
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Center for Human Growth & Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Alison L Miller
- Center for Human Growth & Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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11
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Zänkert S, Bellingrath S, Wüst S, Kudielka BM. HPA axis responses to psychological challenge linking stress and disease: What do we know on sources of intra- and interindividual variability? Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 105:86-97. [PMID: 30390966 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Stress is an ubiquitous phenomenon with significant impact on human physiology when it lasts too long, when it is too intense, or when it hits vulnerable individuals. Examining the mechanisms linking stress exposure with health and disease is an important endeavor in psychoneuroendocrine research. Empirical evidence so far revealed large intra- as well as inter-individual variability in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responses to acute psychosocial stress, showing that the HPA axis is a highly adaptive system. Thus, the characterization of intra- und inter-individual patterns of HPA axis reactivity is of high scientific interest and forms the basis on which mechanistic links between stress response (dys)regulation and health impairments can be examined. To date, basic knowledge has been, and still is, accumulated on demographic, biological (including genetic and epigenetic) factors, lifestyle behavioral variables, consumption of substances and medication, psychological and personality factors, as well as on methodological aspects. Besides this, there is also very recent progress in respect to the development of laboratory stress paradigms that can be applied in virtual reality or inside an MRI-scanner. In sum, the present review updates our current knowledge on moderating and intervening factors as sources of intra- und inter-individual variability in human cortisol stress responses and offers recommendations for future research designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Zänkert
- Department of Medical Psychology, Psychological Diagnostics and Research Methodology, University of Regensburg, Germany
| | - Silja Bellingrath
- Department of Work- and Organizational Psychology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Stefan Wüst
- Institute of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, Germany
| | - Brigitte M Kudielka
- Department of Medical Psychology, Psychological Diagnostics and Research Methodology, University of Regensburg, Germany.
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12
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Send TS, Bardtke S, Gilles M, Wolf IAC, Sütterlin MW, Kirschbaum C, Laucht M, Witt SH, Rietschel M, Streit F, Deuschle M. Stress reactivity in preschool-aged children: Evaluation of a social stress paradigm and investigation of the impact of prenatal maternal stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 101:223-231. [PMID: 30471571 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal maternal stress is an established risk factor for somatic and psychological health of the offspring. A dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in offspring has been suggested as an important mechanism. However, the impact of prenatal stress on stress reactivity in preschool-aged children is not yet well understood. This is partly due to the fact that for this age group there is no stress test as well established as for older children and adults. In the present work a previously published stress test (Kryski et al., 2011) was evaluated in a large sample of 45-month-old children (n = 339). Furthermore, the relation between measures of prenatal maternal stress and cortisol reactivity was investigated. Prenatal stress was defined as psychopathology (self-report available for n = 339; expert-rating available for a subsample of n = 246) and perceived stress (n = 244) during pregnancy. The stress paradigm elicited significant increases in salivary cortisol 30 and 40 min after the test, and 60.8% of the children were classified as responders. Lower cortisol levels after the stress test were observed in the group of children with prenatal stress defined as maternal psychopathology (both self-reported and expert-rated). Maternal perceived stress as a continuous measure was not significantly associated with cortisol levels. However, when comparing children in the highest quartile of maternal perceived stress to all other children, significantly lower cortisol values were observed in the prenatally stressed group. The present study confirms the paradigm by Kryski et al. as an effective stress test for preschool-aged children. Moreover, it provides further evidence that prenatal stress impacts HPA axis reactivity. Future studies should target the timing, nature, and intensity of prenatal stressors and their effect on the stress response in offspring at different developmental stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- T S Send
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany.
| | - S Bardtke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - M Gilles
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - I A C Wolf
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - M W Sütterlin
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Medical Center Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
| | - C Kirschbaum
- Department of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - M Laucht
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany and Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Germany
| | - S H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - M Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - F Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - M Deuschle
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Germany
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13
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Callous-unemotional traits, low cortisol reactivity and physical aggression in children: findings from the Wirral Child Health and Development Study. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:79. [PMID: 30741941 PMCID: PMC6370839 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0406-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Revised: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are thought to confer risk for aggression via reduced amygdala responsivity to distress cues in others. Low cortisol reactivity is thought to confer risk for aggression via reduced arousal and this effect may be confined to boys. We tested the hypothesis that the association between childhood CU traits and aggression would be greatest in the absence of the inhibitory effects of cortisol reactivity, and that this effect would be sex dependent. Participants were 283 members of a stratified subsample within an epidemiological longitudinal cohort (WCHADS). Cortisol reactivity to a social stressor was assessed at 5 years. CU traits were reported by mothers at 5 years, and physical aggression by mothers and teachers at age 7. Results showed that CU traits were associated with elevated aggression at 7 years controlling for earlier aggression. There was no main effect of cortisol reactivity on regression. The association between CU traits and aggression was moderated by cortisol reactivity (p = .011) with a strong association between CU traits and aggression in the presence of low reactivity, and a small and non-significant association in the presence of high reactivity. This association was further moderated by child sex (p = .041) with the joint effect of high CU traits and low cortisol reactivity seen only in boys (p = .016). We report first evidence that a combined deficit in inhibitory processes associated with CU traits and low cortisol reactivity increases risk for childhood aggression, in a sex-dependent manner.
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Koszycki D, Taljaard M, Bielajew C, Gow RM, Bradwejn J. Stress reactivity in healthy child offspring of parents with anxiety disorders. Psychiatry Res 2019; 272:756-764. [PMID: 30832196 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.12.171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 12/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Several studies suggest that anxiety disorders (AD) involve dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and hypothalamic-pituitary (HPA) axis. However, it is unknown if alterations in these biological systems are premorbid markers of AD risk or a state-dependent feature of anxiety. This study examined ANS and HPA-axis response to a laboratory stressor in healthy child offspring of parents with (n = 55) and without (n = 98) a history of AD. High frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) was assessed during sitting and standing baseline conditions and during a speech task where participants remained standing. Salivary cortisol was measured at baseline and at 15, 30, 45 and 60 min post-speech. Subjective anxiety was assessed with a visual analogue scale. Children of parents with AD displayed reduced HRV and a blunted cortisol response to the speech task compared to children of non-anxious parents. No risk group effect was found for anxiety ratings. These preliminary data suggest that healthy children of anxious parents exhibit altered stress reactivity to an acute laboratory stressor. Further research is needed to confirm findings and identify mechanisms that may account for altered self-regulation processes to a stressor in children at familial risk for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Koszycki
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Institut du savoir Montfort, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
| | | | | | - Robert M Gow
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jacques Bradwejn
- University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Institut du savoir Montfort, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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15
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Early post-conception maternal cortisol, children’s HPAA activity and DNA methylation profiles. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2018; 10:73-87. [DOI: 10.1017/s2040174418000880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPAA) plays a critical role in the functioning of all other biological systems. Thus, studying how the environment may influence its ontogeny is paramount to understanding developmental origins of health and disease. The early post-conceptional (EPC) period could be particularly important for the HPAA as the effects of exposures on organisms’ first cells can be transmitted through all cell lineages. We evaluate putative relationships between EPC maternal cortisol levels, a marker of physiologic stress, and their children’s pre-pubertal HPAA activity (n=22 dyads). Maternal first-morning urinary (FMU) cortisol, collected every-other-day during the first 8 weeks post-conception, was associated with children’s FMU cortisol collected daily around the start of the school year, a non-experimental challenge, as well as salivary cortisol responses to an experimental challenge (all Ps<0.05), with some sex-related differences. We investigated whether epigenetic mechanisms statistically mediated these links and, therefore, could provide cues as to possible biological pathways involved. EPC cortisol was associated with >5% change in children’s buccal epithelial cells’ DNA methylation for 867 sites, while children’s HPAA activity was associated with five CpG sites. Yet, no CpG sites were related to both, EPC cortisol and children’s HPAA activity. Thus, these epigenetic modifications did not statistically mediate the observed physiological links. Larger, prospective peri-conceptional cohort studies including frequent bio-specimen collection from mothers and children will be required to replicate our analyses and, if our results are confirmed, identify biological mechanisms mediating the statistical links observed between maternal EPC cortisol and children’s HPAA activity.
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16
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Mechanisms of cortisol - Substance use development associations: Hypothesis generation through gene enrichment analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 92:128-139. [PMID: 29802855 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Revised: 04/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
There are many theories about the mechanisms of associations between hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function (indexed by cortisol) and substance use. However, the potential for genes that contribute to both HPA function and substance use to confound the association (e.g., genetic confounding) has largely been ignored. We explore the potential role of genetics in cortisol-substance use associations, build a conceptual framework placing theories and mechanisms for how cortisol and substance use are related into a developmental progression, and develop new hypotheses based on our findings. We conclude that the relationship between cortisol function and substance use is complex, occurs at multiple levels of analysis, and is bidirectional at multiple phases of the substance use progression. Additionally, there is potential for genetic confounding in cortisol-substance use associations, and thus a need for genetically informed designs to investigate how and why cortisol function is associated with substance use phenotypes from initiation through disorder. Gene-environment interplay and developmental context are likely to impact the effectiveness of prevention and intervention efforts to reduce substance use problems.
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17
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Couture S, Ouimet MC, Dedovic K, Laurier C, Plusquellec P, Brown TG. Blunted cortisol reactivity and risky driving in young offenders - a pilot study. Int J Adolesc Med Health 2018; 32:/j/ijamh.ahead-of-print/ijamh-2017-0123/ijamh-2017-0123.xml. [PMID: 29331098 DOI: 10.1515/ijamh-2017-0123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Adolescent risky driving is a significant burden on public health. Young offenders (i.e. under custody and supervision of the criminal justice system) may be particularly vulnerable, but research is scant. Previous work indicated that blunted cortisol reactivity to stress is a marker of risk-taking predisposition, including risky driving. In this study, we hypothesized that young offenders display higher levels of risky driving than a non-offender comparison group, and that cortisol reactivity contributes to the variance in risky driving independent of other associated characteristics (i.e. impulsivity, risk taking, alcohol and drug use). We found that young offenders (n = 20) showed riskier driving in simulation than comparison group (n = 9), and blunted cortisol reactivity was significantly associated with risky driving. The results suggest young offenders are prone to risky driving, and that individual differences in the cortisol stress response may be an explanatory factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Couture
- Institut universitaire Jeunes en difficulté, 1001 Maisonneuve Blvd. east, 7th floor, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Phone: +1 514 896 3485, Fax: +1 514 896 3400
- Université de Montréal, School of Criminology, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marie Claude Ouimet
- Université de Sherbrooke, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Longueuil, Quebec, Canada
| | - Katarina Dedovic
- Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Addiction Research Program, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Catherine Laurier
- Université de Sherbrooke, Department of Psychoeducation, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Institut universitaire Jeunes en difficulté, 1001 Maisonneuve Blvd. east, 7th floor, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Pierrich Plusquellec
- Université de Montréal, School of Psychoeducation, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal, Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Thomas G Brown
- Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Addiction Research Program, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- McGill University, Department of Psychiatry, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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18
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Rietschel L, Streit F, Zhu G, McAloney K, Frank J, Couvy-Duchesne B, Witt SH, Binz TM, McGrath J, Hickie IB, Hansell NK, Wright MJ, Gillespie NA, Forstner AJ, Schulze TG, Wüst S, Nöthen MM, Baumgartner MR, Walker BR, Crawford AA, Colodro-Conde L, Medland SE, Martin NG, Rietschel M. Hair Cortisol in Twins: Heritability and Genetic Overlap with Psychological Variables and Stress-System Genes. Sci Rep 2017; 7:15351. [PMID: 29127340 PMCID: PMC5703444 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11852-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is a promising measure of long-term hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. Previous research has suggested an association between HCC and psychological variables, and initial studies of inter-individual variance in HCC have implicated genetic factors. However, whether HCC and psychological variables share genetic risk factors remains unclear. The aims of the present twin study were to: (i) assess the heritability of HCC; (ii) estimate the phenotypic and genetic correlation between HPA axis activity and the psychological variables perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and neuroticism; using formal genetic twin models and molecular genetic methods, i.e. polygenic risk scores (PRS). HCC was measured in 671 adolescents and young adults. These included 115 monozygotic and 183 dizygotic twin-pairs. For 432 subjects PRS scores for plasma cortisol, major depression, and neuroticism were calculated using data from large genome wide association studies. The twin model revealed a heritability for HCC of 72%. No significant phenotypic or genetic correlation was found between HCC and the three psychological variables of interest. PRS did not explain variance in HCC. The present data suggest that HCC is highly heritable. However, the data do not support a strong biological link between HCC and any of the investigated psychological variables.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liz Rietschel
- University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Research Department, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
- SRH University Heidelberg, Academy for Psychotherapy, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Fabian Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Gu Zhu
- Genetics & Computational Biology Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Kerrie McAloney
- Genetics & Computational Biology Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Josef Frank
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Baptiste Couvy-Duchesne
- Genetics & Computational Biology Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Stephanie H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Tina M Binz
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, Centre for Forensic Hair Analysis, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - John McGrath
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The Park Centre for Mental Health, Wacol, Australia
- National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ian B Hickie
- Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Narelle K Hansell
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Margaret J Wright
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Nathan A Gillespie
- Genetics & Computational Biology Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Andreas J Forstner
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Life & Brain Center, Department of Genomics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Human Genomics Research Group, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Thomas G Schulze
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA
- Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics (IPPG), Medical Center of the University of Munich, Campus Innenstadt, Munich, DE, Germany
- Human Genetics Branch, NIMH Division of Intramural Research Programs, Bethesda, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Goettingen, DE, Germany
| | - Stefan Wüst
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
- Institute of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Markus M Nöthen
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Life & Brain Center, Department of Genomics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Markus R Baumgartner
- Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, Centre for Forensic Hair Analysis, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Brian R Walker
- British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Andrew A Crawford
- British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Lucía Colodro-Conde
- Genetics & Computational Biology Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Sarah E Medland
- Genetics & Computational Biology Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Nicholas G Martin
- Genetics & Computational Biology Department, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Marcella Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
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19
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Individual differences in early adolescents’ latent trait cortisol: Interaction of early adversity and 5-HTTLPR. Biol Psychol 2017; 129:8-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.07.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Revised: 06/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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20
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Bernard NK, Kashy DA, Levendosky AA, Bogat GA, Lonstein JS. Do different data analytic approaches generate discrepant findings when measuring mother-infant HPA axis attunement? Dev Psychobiol 2016; 59:174-184. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 08/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicola K. Bernard
- Department of Psychology; Michigan State University; East Lansing Michigan
| | - Deborah A. Kashy
- Department of Psychology; Michigan State University; East Lansing Michigan
| | | | - G. Anne Bogat
- Department of Psychology; Michigan State University; East Lansing Michigan
| | - Joseph S. Lonstein
- Department of Psychology; Michigan State University; East Lansing Michigan
- Neuroscience Program; Michigan State University; East Lansing Michigan
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21
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Avery BM, Vrshek-Schallhorn S. Nonsynonymous HTR2C polymorphism predicts cortisol response to psychosocial stress I: Effects in males and females. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2016; 70:134-41. [PMID: 26787298 PMCID: PMC4948185 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2015] [Revised: 11/21/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genetic influences on stress reactivity may provide insight into depression risk mechanisms. The C-allele of rs6318, a putatively functional polymorphism located within the HTR2C gene, has been reported to predict greater cortisol and negative affective reactivity to lab-induced stress. However, the potential moderating effect of sex has not been examined despite X-linkage of HTR2C. We hypothesized that sex moderates the effect of rs6318 on cortisol and affective reactivity to lab-induced stress, with males showing stronger effects. METHODS Non-depressed young adults (N=112; 39 female) screened via clinical interview provided a DNA sample and completed either a negative evaluative Trier Social Stress Test, or a non-evaluative control protocol. Salivary cortisol and self-reported affect were assessed at four timepoints. RESULTS Contrary to hypotheses, C-carriers showed blunted rather than exaggerated cortisol responses to lab-induced stress in multilevel models (b=0.467, p<0.001), which persisted when covarying subclinical depressive symptoms. This effect was not moderated by sex (b=0.174, p=0.421), and remained significant when examining females (b=0.362, p=0.013) and males (b=0.537, p<0.001) separately. C-carriers also exhibited marginally greater reactivity in negative self-focused affect in response to stress than non-carriers when covarying subclinical depressive symptoms (b=-0.360, p=0.067), and exhibited higher levels of subclinical depressive symptoms than non-carriers (F=6.463, p=0.012). CONCLUSIONS Results support a role for the rs6318 C-allele in dysregulated stress responding, and suggest that the C-allele may contribute to risk for depression.
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MESH Headings
- Adolescent
- Alleles
- Case-Control Studies
- Depression/genetics
- Depression/psychology
- Depressive Disorder, Major/genetics
- Depressive Disorder, Major/metabolism
- Depressive Disorder, Major/psychology
- Female
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease
- Humans
- Hydrocortisone/genetics
- Hydrocortisone/metabolism
- Male
- Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
- Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2C/genetics
- Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2C/metabolism
- Risk Factors
- Saliva/metabolism
- Serotonin/genetics
- Serotonin/metabolism
- Stress, Psychological/genetics
- Stress, Psychological/metabolism
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Young Adult
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley M Avery
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Suzanne Vrshek-Schallhorn
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA; Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
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22
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Leppert KA, Kushner M, Smith VC, Lemay EP, Dougherty LR. Children's cortisol responses to a social evaluative laboratory stressor from early to middle childhood. Dev Psychobiol 2016; 58:1019-1033. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A. Leppert
- Department of Psychology; University of Maryland College Park; College Park Maryland
| | - Marissa Kushner
- Department of Psychology; University of Maryland College Park; College Park Maryland
| | - Victoria C. Smith
- Department of Psychology; University of Maryland College Park; College Park Maryland
| | - Edward P. Lemay
- Department of Psychology; University of Maryland College Park; College Park Maryland
| | - Lea R. Dougherty
- Department of Psychology; University of Maryland College Park; College Park Maryland
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23
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The aetiological association between the dynamics of cortisol productivity and ADHD. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2016; 123:991-1000. [PMID: 27106905 PMCID: PMC5005391 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-016-1534-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been linked to dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, indexed by salivary cortisol. The phenotypic and aetiological association of cortisol productivity with ADHD was investigated. A selected twin design using 68 male twin-pairs aged 12–15, concordant or discordant for high ADHD symptom scores, or control twin-pairs with low ADHD symptoms, based on developmentally stable parental ADHD ratings. A genetic growth curve model was applied to cortisol samples obtained across three points during a cognitive-electroencephalography assessment, to examine the aetiological overlap of ADHD affection status (high versus low ADHD symptom scores) with latent intercept and slope factors. A significant phenotypic correlation emerged between ADHD and the slope factor, with cortisol levels dropping faster for the group with high ADHD symptom scores. The analyses further suggested this overlap was mostly driven by correlated genetic effects. We identified change in cortisol activity over time as significantly associated with ADHD affection status, primarily explained by shared genetic effects, suggesting that blunted cortisol productivity can be a marker of genetic risk in ADHD.
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Khoury JE, Gonzalez A, Levitan R, Masellis M, Basile V, Atkinson L. MATERNAL SELF-REPORTED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND MATERNAL CORTISOL LEVELS INTERACT TO PREDICT INFANT CORTISOL LEVELS. Infant Ment Health J 2016; 37:125-39. [DOI: 10.1002/imhj.21554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2015] [Revised: 09/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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McFadyen-Ketchum LS, Hurwich-Reiss E, Stiles AA, Mendoza MM, Badanes LS, Dmitrieva J, Watamura SE. Self-Regulation and Economic Stress in Children of Hispanic Immigrants and Their Peers: Better Regulation at a Cost? EARLY EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT 2015; 27:914-931. [PMID: 28943740 PMCID: PMC5608096 DOI: 10.1080/10409289.2015.1036345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
RESEARCH FINDINGS Although there is a well-established relationship between economic stress and children's self-regulation, few studies have examined this relationship in children of Hispanic immigrants (COHIs), a rapidly growing population. In a sample of preschool children (N = 165), we examined whether economic stress predicted teacher evaluations of children's self-regulation, whether economic stress predicted children's physiological reactivity (via cortisol levels), and whether economic stress had a similar effect on self-regulation and children's cortisol for COHI versus nonimmigrant children. Greater economic stress was associated with poorer child self-regulation and heightened physiological reactivity across a challenging classroom task for the sample as a whole. However, when we examined children by group, greater economic stress was associated with poorer teacher-reported self-regulation for nonimmigrant children only. In contrast, greater economic stress was related to greater cortisol reactivity across a challenge task for COHIs but not for nonimmigrants. PRACTICE OR POLICY Results demonstrate the importance of considering physiological indices of self-regulation (heightened stress physiology), in addition to traditional external indices (teacher report), when assessing self-regulation or risk more generally among preschool samples that are diverse in terms of ethnicity, economic risk, and parents' nativity.
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Brown NJ, Kimble RM, Rodger S, Ware RS, McWhinney BC, Ungerer JP, Cuttle L. Biological markers of stress in pediatric acute burn injury. Burns 2014; 40:887-95. [DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2013.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2013] [Revised: 12/03/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Early exposure to parental depression and parenting: associations with young offspring's stress physiology and oppositional behavior. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2014; 41:1299-310. [PMID: 23722864 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-013-9763-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity to stress is posited to play a role in the intergenerational transmission of risk for psychopathology and other negative outcomes in the offspring of depressed parents. We tested the hypothesis that the joint, interactive effects of exposure to parental depression during early childhood and parental hostility impact the development of young children's stress physiology and early emerging behavior problems. A sample of 165 preschool-age children (81 boys, 84 girls), of whom 103 had a parent with a history of depression, was exposed to a stress-inducing laboratory task, and five salivary cortisol samples were obtained. Parents completed clinical interviews and an observational parent-child interaction task. We found that the offspring exposed to maternal depression during early childhood and whose parents displayed hostile parenting behaviors during an observational task evidenced high and increasing cortisol levels in response to a laboratory stressor. In addition, the total amount of exposure to maternal depression over the child's life exerted a dose-response effect on the positive relation between parental hostility and child observed oppositional behavior. This study underscores the importance of the early rearing environment on young children's stress physiology and early emerging behavior problems.
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Hackman DA, Betancourt LM, Brodsky NL, Kobrin L, Hurt H, Farah MJ. Selective impact of early parental responsivity on adolescent stress reactivity. PLoS One 2013; 8:e58250. [PMID: 23555573 PMCID: PMC3596401 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2012] [Accepted: 02/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Research in animals has shown that early life experience, particularly parenting behaviors, influences later-life stress reactivity. Despite the tremendous relevance of this finding to human development and brain function, it has not been tested prospectively in humans. In this study two aspects of parenting were measured at age 4 in a sample of healthy, low socioeconomic status, African American children, and stress reactivity was measured in the same children 11–14 years later using a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (n = 55). Salivary cortisol was measured before, during and after the stressor and data were analyzed using piecewise hierarchical linear modeling. Parental responsivity, independent of the use of physical discipline, was positively related to cortisol reactivity. Effects were independent of subjective appraisals of the stressor and were also independent of other environmental risk factors and current psychosocial functioning. Therefore this study demonstrates in a novel and precise fashion that early childhood parental responsivity prospectively and independently predicts stress reactivity in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Hackman
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience and Society, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
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Hackman DA, Betancourt LM, Brodsky NL, Hurt H, Farah MJ. Neighborhood disadvantage and adolescent stress reactivity. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 6:277. [PMID: 23091454 PMCID: PMC3469875 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2012] [Accepted: 09/19/2012] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with higher levels of life stress, which in turn affect stress physiology. SES is related to basal cortisol and diurnal change, but it is not clear if SES is associated with cortisol reactivity to stress. To address this question, we examined the relationship between two indices of SES, parental education and concentrated neighborhood disadvantage, and the cortisol reactivity of African–American adolescents to a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). We found that concentrated disadvantage was associated with cortisol reactivity and this relationship was moderated by gender, such that higher concentrated disadvantage predicted higher cortisol reactivity and steeper recovery in boys but not in girls. Parental education, alone or as moderated by gender, did not predict reactivity or recovery, while neither education nor concentrated disadvantage predicted estimates of baseline cortisol. This finding is consistent with animal literature showing differential vulnerability, by gender, to the effects of adverse early experience on stress regulation and the differential effects of neighborhood disadvantage in adolescent males and females. This suggests that the mechanisms underlying SES differences in brain development and particularly reactivity to environmental stressors may vary across genders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A Hackman
- Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience and Society, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Mormede P, Terenina E. Molecular genetics of the adrenocortical axis and breeding for robustness. Domest Anim Endocrinol 2012; 43:116-31. [PMID: 22672758 DOI: 10.1016/j.domaniend.2012.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2012] [Revised: 04/20/2012] [Accepted: 05/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The concept of robustness refers to the combination of a high production potential and a low sensitivity to environmental perturbations. The importance of robustness-related traits in breeding objectives is progressively increasing toward the production of animals with a high production level in a wide range of climatic conditions and production systems, together with a high level of animal welfare. Current strategies to increase robustness include selection for "functional traits," such as skeletal and cardiovascular integrity, disease resistance, and mortality at various stages. It is also possible to use global evaluation of sensitivity to the environment (eg reaction norm analysis or canalization), but these techniques are difficult to implement in practice. The glucocorticoid hormones released by the adrenal cortex exert a wide range of effects on metabolism, the cardiovascular system, inflammatory processes, and brain function, for example. Protein catabolism toward energy production and storage (lipids and glycogen) supports their pivotal role in stress responses aiming at the adaptation and survival of individuals under strong environmental pressure. Large individual variations have been described in adrenocortical axis activity, with important physiopathological consequences. In terms of animal production, higher cortisol levels have negative effects on growth rate and feed efficiency and increase the fat:lean ratio of carcasses. On the contrary, cortisol has positive effects on functional traits and adaptation. Intense selection for lean tissue growth and more generally high protein output during the past decades has concomitantly reduced cortisol production, which may be responsible for the negative effects of selection on functional traits. In this paper, we review experimental evidence suggesting that the balance between production and functional traits was modified in favor of improved robustness by selecting animals with higher adrenocortical axis activity, as well as the molecular genetic tools that can be used to fine-tune this objective.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Mormede
- INRA, UMR 444 Génétique Cellulaire, F-31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France.
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Van Hulle CA, Shirtcliff EA, Lemery-Chalfant K, Goldsmith HH. Genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in cortisol level and circadian rhythm in middle childhood. Horm Behav 2012; 62:36-42. [PMID: 22583671 PMCID: PMC3377812 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2011] [Revised: 04/20/2012] [Accepted: 04/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Individuals differ widely in cortisol output over the day, but the etiology of these individual differences remains poorly understood. Twin studies are useful for quantifying genetic and environmental influences on the variation in cortisol output, lending insight into underlying influences on the components of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis functioning. Salivary cortisol was assayed on 446 twin pairs (157 monozygotic, 289 dizygotic; ages 7-8). Parents helped youth collect saliva 30 min after waking, mid-afternoon, and 30 min prior to bedtime across 3 consecutive days. We used hierarchical linear modeling to extract predicted cortisol levels and to distinguish cortisol's diurnal rhythm using a slopes-as-outcome piecewise growth curve model; two slopes captured the morning-to-afternoon and afternoon-to-evening rhythm, respectively. Separate genetic models were then fit to cortisol level at waking, mid-afternoon, and evening as well as the diurnal rhythm across morning-to-afternoon and afternoon-to-evening hours. Three results from these analyses are striking. First, morning-to-afternoon cortisol level showed the highest additive genetic variance (heritability), consistent with prior research. Second, cortisol's diurnal rhythm had an additive genetic component, particularly across the morning-to-afternoon hours. In contrast, additive genetic variation did not significantly contribute to variation in afternoon-to-evening slope. Third, the majority of variance in cortisol concentration was associated with shared family environments. In summary, both genetic and environmental factors influence cortisol's circadian rhythm, and they do so differentially across the day.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol A Van Hulle
- Department of Psychology & Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
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Gustafsson PA, Gustafsson PE, Anckarsäter H, Lichtenstein P, Ljung T, Nelson N, Larsson H. Heritability of cortisol regulation in children. Twin Res Hum Genet 2012; 14:553-61. [PMID: 22506311 DOI: 10.1375/twin.14.6.553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The normal development of cortisol regulation during childhood is thought to be influenced by a complex interplay between environmental and genetic factors. METHOD The aim of this study was to estimate genetic and environmental influences on basal cortisol levels in a sample of 151 twin pairs aged 9-16 years. Salivary cortisol was collected on two consecutive days when the children attended school--immediately after awakening, 30 min post-awakening and at bedtime. RESULTS Heritability was highest (60%) for cortisol levels about 30 min after awakening. For samples taken immediately at awakening heritability was less pronounced (28%) and in the evening low (8%). CONCLUSION The limited genetic influence on evening levels, moderate on cortisol at awakening and high on awakening response, might imply two genetic regulation patterns, one specifically for awakening response and one for the circadian rhythm proper. These findings could explain divergent results in previous studies and highlight the importance of taking the circadian rhythm into account in studies of cortisol levels in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Per A Gustafsson
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Linköping University, Sweden.
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French JA, Smith AS, Gleason AM, Birnie AK, Mustoe A, Korgan A. Stress reactivity in young marmosets (Callithrix geoffroyi): ontogeny, stability, and lack of concordance among co-twins. Horm Behav 2012; 61:196-203. [PMID: 22210196 PMCID: PMC3278562 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2011] [Revised: 12/09/2011] [Accepted: 12/10/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Variation in response styles in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis are known to be predictors of short- and long-term health outcomes. The nature of HPA responses to stressors changes with developmental stage, and some components of the stress response exhibit long-term individual consistency (i.e., are trait-like) while others are transient or variable (i.e., state-like). Here we evaluated the response of marmoset monkeys (Callithrix geoffroyi) to a standardized social stressor (social separation and exposure to a novel environment) at three different stages of development: juvenile, subadult, and young adult. We monitored levels of urinary cortisol (CORT), and derived multiple measures of HPA activity: Baseline CORT, CORT reactivity, CORT Area Under the Curve (AUC), and CORT regulation. Juvenile marmosets exhibited the most dramatic stress response, had higher AUCs, and tended to show poorer regulation. While baseline CORT and CORT regulation were not consistent within an individual across age, CORT reactivity and measures of AUC were highly correlated across time; i.e., individuals with high stress reactivity and AUC as juveniles also had high measures as subadults and adults, and vice-versa. Marmoset co-twins did not exhibit similar patterns of stress reactivity. These data suggest that regardless of the source of variation in stress response styles in marmosets, individually-distinctive patterns are established by six months of age, and persist for at least a year throughout different phases of marmoset life history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey A French
- Callitrichid Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182, USA.
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Tantisira KG, Lasky-Su J, Harada M, Murphy A, Litonjua AA, Himes BE, Lange C, Lazarus R, Sylvia J, Klanderman B, Duan QL, Qiu W, Hirota T, Martinez FD, Mauger D, Sorkness C, Szefler S, Lazarus SC, Lemanske RF, Peters SP, Lima JJ, Nakamura Y, Tamari M, Weiss ST. Genomewide association between GLCCI1 and response to glucocorticoid therapy in asthma. N Engl J Med 2011; 365:1173-83. [PMID: 21991891 PMCID: PMC3667396 DOI: 10.1056/nejmoa0911353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 254] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The response to treatment for asthma is characterized by wide interindividual variability, with a significant number of patients who have no response. We hypothesized that a genomewide association study would reveal novel pharmacogenetic determinants of the response to inhaled glucocorticoids. METHODS We analyzed a small number of statistically powerful variants selected on the basis of a family-based screening algorithm from among 534,290 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to determine changes in lung function in response to inhaled glucocorticoids. A significant, replicated association was found, and we characterized its functional effects. RESULTS We identified a significant pharmacogenetic association at SNP rs37972, replicated in four independent populations totaling 935 persons (P=0.0007), which maps to the glucocorticoid-induced transcript 1 gene (GLCCI1) and is in complete linkage disequilibrium (i.e., perfectly correlated) with rs37973. Both rs37972 and rs37973 are associated with decrements in GLCCI1 expression. In isolated cell systems, the rs37973 variant is associated with significantly decreased luciferase reporter activity. Pooled data from treatment trials indicate reduced lung function in response to inhaled glucocorticoids in subjects with the variant allele (P=0.0007 for pooled data). Overall, the mean (±SE) increase in forced expiratory volume in 1 second in the treated subjects who were homozygous for the mutant rs37973 allele was only about one third of that seen in similarly treated subjects who were homozygous for the wild-type allele (3.2±1.6% vs. 9.4±1.1%), and their risk of a poor response was significantly higher (odds ratio, 2.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.27 to 4.41), with genotype accounting for about 6.6% of overall inhaled glucocorticoid response variability. CONCLUSIONS A functional GLCCI1 variant is associated with substantial decrements in the response to inhaled glucocorticoids in patients with asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelan G Tantisira
- Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
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Fairbanks LA, Jorgensen MJ, Bailey JN, Breidenthal SE, Grzywa R, Laudenslager ML. Heritability and genetic correlation of hair cortisol in vervet monkeys in low and higher stress environments. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2011; 36:1201-8. [PMID: 21411232 PMCID: PMC3125414 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2011.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2010] [Revised: 12/14/2010] [Accepted: 02/18/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Chronic activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) system is a risk factor for a variety of physical and mental disorders, and yet the complexity of the system has made it difficult to define the role of genetic and environmental factors in producing long-term individual differences in HPA activity. Cortisol levels in hair have been suggested as a marker of total HPA activation over a period of several months. This study takes advantage of a pedigreed nonhuman primate colony to investigate genetic and environmental influences on hair cortisol levels before and after an environmental change. A sample of 226 adult female vervet monkeys (age 3-18) living in multigenerational, matrilineal social groups at the Vervet Research Colony were sampled in a stable low stress baseline environment and 6 months after the entire colony was moved to a new facility with more frequent handling and group disturbances (higher stress environment). Variance components analysis using the extended colony pedigree was applied to determine heritability of hair cortisol levels in the two environments. Bivariate genetic correlation assessed degree of overlap in genes influencing hair cortisol levels in the low and higher stress environments. The results showed that levels of cortisol in hair of female vervets increased significantly from the baseline to the post-move environment. Hair cortisol levels were heritable in both environments (h(2)=0.31), and there was a high genetic correlation across environments (rhoG=0.79), indicating substantial overlap in the genes affecting HPA activity in low and higher stress environments. This is the first study to demonstrate that the level of cortisol in hair is a heritable trait. It shows the utility of hair cortisol as a marker for HPA activation, and a useful tool for identifying genetic influences on long term individual differences in HPA activity. The results provide support for an additive model of the effects of genes and environment on this measure of long term HPA activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn A. Fairbanks
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA 90095,Corresponding Author: Lynn A. Fairbanks, PhD Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences Semel Institute University of California at Los Angeles 760 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles CA 90095 Office Number (310) 825-0782
| | - Matthew J. Jorgensen
- Department of Pathology, Section on Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem NC
| | - Julia N. Bailey
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA 90095
| | - Sherry E. Breidenthal
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA 90095
| | - Rachel Grzywa
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado at Denver School of Medicine, Denver CO 80220
| | - Mark L. Laudenslager
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado at Denver School of Medicine, Denver CO 80220
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Moore FR, Al Dujaili EAS, Cornwell RE, Smith MJL, Lawson JF, Sharp M, Perrett DI. Cues to sex- and stress-hormones in the human male face: functions of glucocorticoids in the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis. Horm Behav 2011; 60:269-74. [PMID: 21672543 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2010] [Revised: 05/07/2011] [Accepted: 05/31/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The stress-linked version of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis has been proposed to account for inconsistencies in relationships between testosterone and immune response. The model has received some support from studies demonstrating roles of stress hormones in relationships between testosterone, immune function and secondary sexual ornamentation. Such work, however, has relied on artificial elevation of testosterone so may not reflect relationships in natural populations. We created human male facial stimuli on the basis of naturally co-occurring levels of salivary testosterone and the stress hormone cortisol. In Study 1 we tested female preferences for male faces with cues to combinations of the hormones across the menstrual cycle, and in Study 2 we tested perceptions of health and dominance in a novel set of facial stimuli. Females preferred cues to low cortisol, a preference that was strongest during the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle. The effects of cortisol on attractiveness and perceived health and dominance were contingent upon level of testosterone: the effects of the stress hormone were reduced when testosterone was high. We propose explanations for our results, including low cortisol as a cue to a heritable component of health, attractiveness as a predictor of low social-evaluative threat (and, therefore, low baseline cortisol) and testosterone as a proxy of male ability to cope efficiently with stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- F R Moore
- School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, St Mary's Quad, Fife, KY16 9JP, UK.
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A transdisciplinary perspective of chronic stress in relation to psychopathology throughout life span development. Dev Psychopathol 2011; 23:725-76. [DOI: 10.1017/s0954579411000289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe allostatic load (AL) model represents an interdisciplinary approach to comprehensively conceptualize and quantify chronic stress in relation to pathologies throughout the life cycle. This article first reviews the AL model, followed by interactions among early adversity, genetics, environmental toxins, as well as distinctions among sex, gender, and sex hormones as integral antecedents of AL. We next explore perspectives on severe mental illness, dementia, and caregiving as unique human models of AL that merit future investigations in the field of developmental psychopathology. A complimenting transdisciplinary perspective is applied throughout, whereby we argue that the AL model goes beyond traditional stress–disease theories toward the advancement of person-centered research and practice that promote not only physical health but also mental health.
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Ouellet-Morin I, Danese A, Bowes L, Shakoor S, Ambler A, Pariante CM, Papadopoulos AS, Caspi A, Moffitt TE, Arseneault L. A discordant monozygotic twin design shows blunted cortisol reactivity among bullied children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2011; 50:574-582.e3. [PMID: 21621141 PMCID: PMC3743243 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2011.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2010] [Revised: 02/11/2011] [Accepted: 02/24/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Childhood adverse experiences are known to engender persistent changes in stress-related systems and brain structures involved in mood, cognition, and behavior in animal models. Uncertainty remains about the causal effect of early stressful experiences on physiological response to stress in human beings, as the impact of these experiences has rarely been investigated while controlling for both genetic and shared environmental influences. METHOD We tested whether bullying victimization, a repeated adverse experience in childhood, influences cortisol responses to a psychosocial stress test (PST) using a discordant monozygotic (MZ) twin design. Thirty pairs (43.3% males) of 12-year-old MZ twins discordant for bullying victimization were identified in the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a nationally representative 1994-1995 cohort of families with twins. RESULTS Bullied and nonbullied MZ twins showed distinct patterns of cortisol secretion after the PST. Specifically, bullied twins exhibited a blunted cortisol response compared with their nonbullied MZ co-twins, who showed the expected increase. This difference in cortisol response to stress could not be attributed to children's genetic makeup, their familial environments, pre-existing and concomitant individual factors, or the perception of stress and emotional response to the PST. CONCLUSION Results from this natural experiment provide support for a causal effect of adverse childhood experiences on the neuroendocrine response to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lucy Bowes
- Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London
| | | | | | | | | | - Avshalom Caspi
- Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London.,Duke University, Durham
| | - Terrie E. Moffitt
- Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London.,Duke University, Durham
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Dougherty LR, Klein DN, Rose S, Laptook RS. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity in the preschool-age offspring of depressed parents: moderation by early parenting. Psychol Sci 2011; 22:650-8. [PMID: 21460339 DOI: 10.1177/0956797611404084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of depression. In the study reported here, we tested the hypothesis that parenting behavior moderates the relation between parents' lifetime history of depression and their offspring's cortisol reactivity to a psychosocial stressor. We exposed 160 preschool-age children to stress-inducing laboratory tasks, during which we obtained four salivary cortisol samples. Parents completed clinical interviews and an observational parent-child interaction task. The results confirmed our hypothesis: The offspring who evidenced high and increasing cortisol levels were those whose parents had a history of depression and demonstrated hostility toward their child. This moderating effect was specific to offspring who were exposed to maternal depression during the first few years of life. As do findings in animals, results of this study underscore the importance of the early rearing environment in the intergenerational transmission of stress sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea R Dougherty
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
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40
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Marin MF, Lord C, Andrews J, Juster RP, Sindi S, Arsenault-Lapierre G, Fiocco AJ, Lupien SJ. Chronic stress, cognitive functioning and mental health. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2011; 96:583-95. [PMID: 21376129 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2011.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 307] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2010] [Revised: 02/05/2011] [Accepted: 02/22/2011] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
This review aims to discuss the evidence supporting the link between chronic stress, cognitive function and mental health. Over the years, the associations between these concepts have been investigated in different populations. This review summarizes the findings that have emerged from older populations as well as from populations suffering from pathological aging, namely Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease. Although older adults are an interesting population to study in terms of chronic stress, other stress-related diseases can occur throughout the lifespan. The second section covers some of these stress-related diseases that have recently received a great deal of attention, namely burnout, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Given that chronic stress contributes to the development of certain pathologies by accelerating and/or exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities that vary from one individual to the other, the final section summarizes data obtained on potential variables contributing to the association between chronic stress and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-France Marin
- Center for Studies on Human Stress, Fernand-Seguin Research Center, Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital, Canada
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Luijk MPCM, Velders FP, Tharner A, van Ijzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Jaddoe VWV, Hofman A, Verhulst FC, Tiemeier H. FKBP5 and resistant attachment predict cortisol reactivity in infants: gene-environment interaction. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2010; 35:1454-61. [PMID: 20547006 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2010] [Revised: 03/29/2010] [Accepted: 04/25/2010] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Quality of the parent-infant attachment relationship influences physiological stress regulation. Genetic factors also contribute to the stress regulatory HPA-axis. Quality of attachment as an index of the rearing environment (measured with the Strange Situation Procedure, SSP), and HPA-axis related SNPs (BclI, rs41423247; TthIIII, rs10052957; GR-9β, rs6198; N363S, rs6195; ER22/23EK, rs6189 and 6190; and FKBP5, rs1360780) were hypothesized to be related to cortisol reactivity in the stressful SSP. In this large population based sample, FKBP5 rs1360780, but not GR haplotype, was related to cortisol reactivity. Moreover, we found a significant interaction effect for insecure-resistant attachment and FKBP5 rs1360780, indicating a double-risk for heightened cortisol reactivity levels in infants with one or two T-alleles of the FKBP5 SNP and an insecure-resistant attachment relationship with their mother. Findings are discussed from the perspective of gene-environment interaction.
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Oldehinkel AJ, Bouma EMC. Sensitivity to the depressogenic effect of stress and HPA-axis reactivity in adolescence: a review of gender differences. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2010; 35:1757-70. [PMID: 21040743 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2010] [Revised: 10/19/2010] [Accepted: 10/25/2010] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is characterized by major biological, psychological, and social challenges, as well as by an increase in depression rates. This review focuses on the association between stressful experiences and depression in adolescence, and the possible role of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal cortex (HPA-)axis in this link. Adolescent girls have a higher probability to develop depressive symptoms than adolescent boys and preadolescents. Increasing evidence indicates that girls' higher risk of depression is partly brought about by an increased sensitivity for stressful life events, particularly interpersonal stressors, which are highly prevalent in adolescent girls. Genetic risk factors for depression, as well as those for stress sensitivity, are often expressed differently in girls and boys. Also environmental adversity tends to affect girls' stress responses more than those of boys. These gender-specific association patterns have been reported for both sensitivity to stressful life events and HPA-axis responses to social stress. Together, the findings suggest that girls are more malleable than boys in response to internal and external influences. This postulated greater malleability may be adaptive in many circumstances, but also brings along risk, such as an increased probability of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albertine J Oldehinkel
- Interdisciplinary Center for Psychiatric Epidemiology, University Medical Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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Moore FR, Cornwell RE, Smith MJL, Al Dujaili EAS, Sharp M, Perrett DI. Evidence for the stress-linked immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in human male faces. Proc Biol Sci 2010; 278:774-80. [PMID: 20843854 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The stress-linked immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (SL-ICHH) of sexual selection incorporates a role of the stress hormone corticosterone (C; cortisol in humans) in relationships between testosterone (T), immunity and secondary sexual trait expression. In support of this, C has been shown to mediate and moderate relationships between T and immune response and to be inversely related to attractiveness in some avian species. We predicted that female preferences for cues to T in human male faces would be contingent upon co-occurring cortisol levels. In study 1, we tested relationships between T and cortisol and attractiveness, masculinity and health ratings of raw male faces. We found cortisol to be inversely related to attractiveness. In study 2, we tested female preferences for male faces that were parametrically manipulated on the basis of cues to naturally co-occurring levels of T and cortisol across the menstrual cycle. Women preferred cues to low cortisol in general and in the fertile phase of the cycle, and there was an interaction between T and cortisol in general and in the non-fertile phase. Results were consistent with the SL-ICHH but not the original immunocompetence handicap model: females expressed preferences for cues to cortisol but not for cues to T, except in interaction with the stress hormone. Results inform the SL-ICHH by demonstrating female preferences for low cortisol and the nature of its interaction with T in humans, as well as indicating the traits that may be signalled by different combinations of the hormones including immune response, current health and resource acquisition characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- F R Moore
- Division of Psychology, University of Abertay Dundee, Dundee, UK.
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Sheikh HI, Dougherty LR, Hayden EP, Klein DN, Singh SM. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor gene polymorphism (Leu260Phe) is associated with morning cortisol in preschoolers. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2010; 34:980-3. [PMID: 20483198 PMCID: PMC2910171 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2010.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2010] [Revised: 04/19/2010] [Accepted: 05/06/2010] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) has been shown to be a potent stress-regulating neuropeptide in animal models, but little is known about whether genetic polymorphisms that influence this peptide influence stress responses in humans. We therefore explored whether a missense mutation (rs1042044) in the GLP-1 receptor was associated with morning and evening salivary cortisol levels in preschool aged children. Morning and evening saliva samples and individual buccal swabs for DNA extraction were collected from seventy-seven preschool aged children. Salivary cortisol was assayed using a time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay with fluorometric end-point detection (DELFIA), and the rs1042044 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was genotyped using allele specific TaqMan probes. Children homozygous for the phenylalanine (C) substitution in the GLP-1R gene had significantly higher morning salivary cortisol levels than children with other GLP-1R genotypes (p=0.029). Additionally, children with one or two copies of the phenylalanine (C) allele had significantly higher morning cortisol levels compared to children homozygous for the leucine (A) allele (p=0.008). Our results identify associations between a novel genetic variant of GLP-1R and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulation. This polymorphism may have functional significance in stress-related psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haroon I. Sheikh
- Molecular Genetics Unit, Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Lea R. Dougherty
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, United States
| | - Elizabeth P. Hayden
- Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 3K7, Canada,Correspondence: Dr. Elizabeth Hayden, University of Western Ontario, Department of Psychology, London, Ontario CANADA, N6A 3K7, , Tel: 519-661-3686
| | - Daniel N. Klein
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-2500, United States
| | - Shiva M. Singh
- Molecular Genetics Unit, Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
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Dockray S, Steptoe A. Positive affect and psychobiological processes. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2010; 35:69-75. [PMID: 20097225 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2009] [Revised: 01/11/2010] [Accepted: 01/18/2010] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Positive affect has been associated with favourable health outcomes, and it is likely that several biological processes mediate the effects of positive mood on physical health. There is converging evidence that positive affect activates the neuroendocrine, autonomic and immune systems in distinct and functionally meaningful ways. Cortisol, both total output and the awakening response, has consistently been shown to be lower among individuals with higher levels of positive affect. The beneficial effects of positive mood on cardiovascular function, including heart rate and blood pressure, and the immune system have also been described. The influence of positive affect on these psychobiological processes is independent of negative affect, suggesting that positive affect may have characteristic biological correlates. The duration and conceptualisation of positive affect may be important considerations in understanding how different biological systems are activated in association with positive affect. The association of positive affect and psychobiological processes has been established, and these biological correlates may be partly responsible for the protective effects of positive affect on health outcomes.
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