Psychoneuroendocrinology
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Psychoneuroendocrinology · May 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialExamination stress results in altered cardiovascular responses to acute challenge and lower cortisol.
The present study examined how cardiovascular and salivary cortisol responses varied in response to an acute challenge in medical students under exam stress versus those not under exam stress. One hundred and twenty-nine medical students were randomly assigned to undertake a CO2 inhalation test either prior to an examination period (exam group) or during a regular academic period (non-exam group). Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were measured for 5 min before and 5 min after the task, and salivary cortisol samples were collected 1 min before and 10 and 30 min after the CO2 inhalation test. ⋯ Female students across both groups exhibited significantly lower SBP reactivity compared with male students. Salivary cortisol levels were consistently lower in the exam group. These findings indicate that ongoing natural stress alters cortisol secretion and cardiovascular responses in the face of an acute stress challenge.
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Psychoneuroendocrinology · Jan 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialCharacterization of verbal and spatial memory changes from moderate to supraphysiological increases in serum testosterone in healthy older men.
It has been suggested that cognitive changes in response to T supplementation may occur within an ideal range. The objective of this study was to compare the cognitive responses of older, eugonadal men in whom moderate or large increases in serum testosterone levels was induced by exogenous testosterone supplementation. ⋯ These results suggest that in healthy older men, beneficial changes in cognitive function induced by T supplementation are most evident with moderate changes in cognition from moderate to high T supplementation increases in T levels. Large or no to low increases in T levels do not appear to appreciably effect cognition.
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Psychoneuroendocrinology · Nov 2006
Clinical TrialStress sensitivity in metastatic breast cancer: analysis of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function.
The normal diurnal cortisol cycle has a peak in the morning, decreasing rapidly over the day, with low levels during the night, then rising rapidly again to the morning peak. A pattern of flatter daytime slopes has been associated with more rapid cancer progression in both animals and humans. We studied the relationship between the daytime slopes and other daytime cortisol responses to both pharmacological and psychosocial challenges of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function as well as DHEA in a sample of 99 women with metastatic breast cancer, in hopes of elucidating the dysregulatory process. ⋯ The CRF activation test (following 1.5mg of DEX to assure that the effect was due to exogenous CRF) produced ACTH levels that were correlated (r=0.66, p<.0001, N=74) with serum cortisol levels, indicating adrenal responsiveness to ACTH stimulation. Daytime cortisol slopes were significantly correlated with the slope of DHEA (r=.21, p=.04, N=95). Our general findings suggest that flatter daytime cortisol slopes among metastatic breast cancer patients may be related to disrupted feedback inhibition rather than hypersensitivity in response to stimulation.
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Psychoneuroendocrinology · Oct 2006
Clinical TrialChanges in salivary cortisol and corticosteroid receptor-alpha mRNA expression following a 3-week multidisciplinary treatment program in patients with fibromyalgia.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a 3-week residential multidisciplinary non-pharmacological treatment program (including individually prescribed aerobic exercise and cognitive-behavioral therapy) on fibromyalgia symptoms and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function. Salivary and venous blood samples were collected from 12 female patients with fibromyalgia (age: 25-58) the day before and the day after the treatment period: saliva, eight times (every two hours from 0800 to 2200 h); venous blood, at 0800 h. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were separated and analyzed for glucocorticoid receptor-alpha (GR-alpha) mRNA expression by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, while the salivary cortisol concentration was determined by RIA. ⋯ Concomitantly, the area under the cortisol curve "with respect to increase" (AUC(i)) was higher and there was a significant increase in GR-alpha mRNA expression in PBMC. The number of positive tender points, present pain, pain area and CES-D score were significantly reduced after the treatment, while the pressure pain threshold increased at most of the tender points. Our findings suggest that one of the active mechanisms underlying the effects of our treatment is an improvement of HPA axis function, consisting in increased resiliency and sensitivity of the stress system probably related to stimulation of GR-alpha synthesis by the components of the treatment.
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Psychoneuroendocrinology · Sep 2006
Asymmetry between salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase reactivity to stress: relation to aggressive behavior in adolescents.
This study used a multiple physiological systems measurement approach to test the hypothesis that asymmetry between the major components of the psychobiology of stress is associated with atypical behavior in youth [Bauer, A. M., Quas, J. A., Boyce, W. ⋯ Asymmetrical C and A-A reactivity accounted for 7% of the variance in parent-reported adolescent aggression. At lower levels of A-A reactivity, lower C reactivity corresponded to higher aggression ratings, but at high A-A reactivity levels, C reactivity was not related to aggression. These results support the hypothesis of Bauer et al. and underscore the importance of a multiple systems measurement approach in biosocial models of adolescent aggression.