Psychoneuroendocrinology
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Psychoneuroendocrinology · Jun 2010
Salivary cortisol response to acute stress and its relation to psychological factors in women with chronic trapezius myalgia--a pilot study.
This study investigated differences in HPA axis function, measured as salivary cortisol concentrations, between 18 women with chronic trapezius myalgia (MYA) and 30 healthy female controls (CON). In addition, the interactions between HPA axis reactions to psychosocial stress and aspects of pain, health and psychological symptoms were analyzed. Salivary cortisol was measured both in daily life, to assess the circadian profile, and in the laboratory during light repetitive work and standardized psychosocial stress (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST). ⋯ Thus, a relatively favorable sample of female chronic trapezius myalgia patients exhibited normal circadian rhythm and normal salivary cortisol response magnitudes after a psychosocial stress test. In the subgroup of responders, the MYA group showed indications of a slower salivary cortisol response to psychosocial stress. Further studies are needed to elucidate the possibility of altered HPA axis activity in terms of a slower salivary cortisol response.
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Psychoneuroendocrinology · Jun 2010
Stressful politics: voters' cortisol responses to the outcome of the 2008 United States Presidential election.
Social subordination can be biologically stressful; when mammals lose dominance contests they have acute increases in the stress hormone cortisol. However, human studies of the effect of dominance contest outcomes on cortisol changes have had inconsistent results. Moreover, human studies have been limited to face-to-face competitions and have heretofore never examined cortisol responses to shifts in political dominance hierarchies. ⋯ Radioimmunoassay was used to measure levels of cortisol in the saliva samples. In North Carolina, John McCain voters (losers) had increases in post-outcome cortisol levels, whereas Barack Obama voters (winners) had stable post-outcome cortisol levels. The present research provides novel evidence that societal shifts in political dominance can impact biological stress responses in voters whose political party becomes socio-politically subordinate.