Psychoneuroendocrinology
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Psychoneuroendocrinology · Jan 2013
Comparative Study Controlled Clinical TrialSympathetic activity and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis activity during sleep in post-traumatic stress disorder: a study assessing polysomnography with simultaneous blood sampling.
Nightmares and insomnia in PTSD are hallmark symptoms, yet poorly understood in comparison to the advances toward a biological framework for the disorder. According to polysomnography (PSG), only minor changes in sleep architecture were described. This warrants alternative methods for assessing sleep regulation in PTSD. ⋯ This study suggests that hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity is related to sleep fragmentation in PTSD. Also, activity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is increased during sleep in PTSD. Further research is necessary to explore the potential causal relationship between sleep problems and the activity of the HPA-axis and SNS in PTSD.
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Psychoneuroendocrinology · Dec 2012
Trait mindfulness modulates neuroendocrine and affective responses to social evaluative threat.
Individual differences in mindfulness have been associated with numerous self-report indicators of stress, but research has not examined how mindfulness may buffer neuroendocrine and psychological stress responses under controlled laboratory conditions. The present study investigated the role of trait mindfulness in buffering cortisol and affective responses to a social evaluative stress challenge versus a control task. ⋯ The findings suggest that trait mindfulness modulates cortisol and affective responses to an acute social stressor. Further research is needed to understand the neural pathways through which mindfulness impacts these responses.
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Psychoneuroendocrinology · Oct 2012
Associations of childhood trauma with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function in borderline personality disorder and major depression.
Alterations of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis are hallmarks in major depressive disorder (MDD) and there is some evidence about similar patterns in borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study examines HPA axis abnormalities with respect to clinical characteristics in both BPD (n=24) and MDD patients (n=33) as well as in healthy control participants (n=41). ⋯ HPA dysfunctions appear to be related rather to childhood trauma than to psychopathology in adulthood. Exposure to childhood trauma may contribute to long-lasting alterations in HPA activity and might enhance the risk for the development of later mental disorder.
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Psychoneuroendocrinology · Oct 2012
Alterations in stress responses of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in small for gestational age infants.
Mounting epidemiologic evidence and animal models suggest that stressful conditions during the intrauterine period may increase susceptibility to several adult conditions, including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and psychiatric disorders. Increased cortisol levels due to alterations in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis are believed to be one mediating mechanism. Infants born after significant exposure to stressful conditions are often small for gestational age (SGA) based on standardized growth norms. ⋯ The predicted curves capture the significant group difference in trajectories, as well as the blunted response for the SGA group and the robust peak in cortisol production in response to the stressor for the AGA group. This evidence suggests SGA neonates have blunted HPA axis responses to stressors in comparison to AGA infants. These findings are consistent with animal models showing that adverse intrauterine conditions can result in blunted cortisol responses to acute stressors and may provide a mechanism for adult susceptibility to disease for individuals that are SGA at birth.
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Psychoneuroendocrinology · Sep 2012
Controlled Clinical TrialFKBP5 polymorphisms as vulnerability to anxiety and depression in patients with advanced gastric cancer: a controlled and prospective study.
Cancer patients, who have to adapt to a long treatment process with multiple stressful events, show various stress responses. Genetic components may contribute to individual differences in stress response and risk for development of stress-related psychiatric problems. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5) gene polymorphisms regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis on individual distress levels in cancer patients faced with similar stressful situation. ⋯ For HADS-depression, rs9470080 and rs9296158 had a marginally significant group-by-time interaction (p=0.026, p=0.032, respectively). In addition, a step-wise linear regression analysis showed that FKBP5 rs9470080 and rs9296158 were significant predictors of anxiety and depression after prolonged stress exposure in cancer patients. Our findings indicate that the genetic factors regulating the HPA axis such as FKBP5 gene polymorphisms may play a crucial role in anxiety and depression following prolonged stress exposure.