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Cortisol Samples (cortisol + sample)
Selected AbstractsA Pain Severity,Hypothalamic,Pituitary,Adrenocortical Axis Interaction: The Effects on Pain Pathways,JOURNAL OF APPLIED BIOBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2007John P. Garofalo Recent efforts have identified psychosocial and biological factors influencing the pathogenesis of chronic pain. The present study attempted to identify whether these two variables interact and, in turn, represent an underlying mechanism in the transition from acute to chronic pain. Salivary cortisol samples were collected upon waking up and 20 minutes later daily for 2 weeks from acute pain patients. Analyses revealed a direct relationship between pain severity and hypothalamic,pituitary,adrenocortical activity for temporomandibular disorder, and a negative relationship between these variables for low back pain populations. These results highlight the possible interaction between neuroendocrine and psychological factors to increase the risk for chronic pain. [source] Hypothalamic,Pituitary,Adrenocortical Axis Dysregulation in Acute Temporomandibular Disorder and Low Back Pain: A Marker for Chronicity?,JOURNAL OF APPLIED BIOBEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, Issue 3-4 2006John P. Garofalo Dysregulation of the hypothalamic,pituitary,adrenocortical (HPA) axis is believed to be a valid biological marker of stress. This study evaluating changes in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and low back pain (LBP) to determine whether dysregulation of this system represents a marker for chronicity. Salivary cortisol samples were collected from 78 patients (TMD = 41, LBP = 37) upon waking up and 20 minutes later daily for 2 weeks. High-risk patients for chronic pain had different overall cortisol levels versus low-risk patients. High-risk patients exhibited greater variability in terms of cortisol secretion compared with low-risk patients, F(1, 1,243) = 17.73, p < .000. These results provide evidence of a neuroendocrine mechanism underlying a constellation of psychosocial risk factors for chronic pain. [source] Neuroticism and Morning Cortisol Secretion: Both Heritable, But No Shared Genetic InfluencesJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 5 2009Harriėtte Riese ABSTRACT Neuroticism is widely used as an explanatory concept in etiological research of psychopathology. To clarify what neuroticism actually represents, we investigated the phenotypic and genetic relationship between neuroticism and the morning cortisol secretion. In the current classic twin study, 125 female twin pairs (74 monozygotic and 51 dizygotic pairs) participated. For each participant, 4 different neuroticism scores were available to calculate a neuroticism composite score that was used in the statistical analyses. The morning cortisol secretion was assessed by 4 salivary samples in the 1st hour after awakening. Significant genetic influences for the neuroticism composite score (55%), and each of the 4 cortisol samples (52%,69%) were found. There was no phenotypic or genotypic relationship between neuroticism and morning cortisol secretion. Although neuroticism and cortisol were both heritable traits, they did not share any genetic influences. [source] Effects of reproductive condition and dominance rank on cortisol responsiveness to stress in free-ranging female rhesus macaquesAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY, Issue 7 2010Christy L. Hoffman Abstract The hypothalamic,pituitary,adrenal (HPA) axis modulates individuals' physiological responses to social stress, which is an inevitable aspect of the daily lives of group-living animals. Previous nonhuman primate studies have reported that sex, age, rank, and reproductive condition influence cortisol levels under stressful conditions. In this study we investigated cortisol responses to stress among 70 multiparous, free-ranging female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) on the island of Cayo Santiago, PR. Plasma cortisol samples were collected in two consecutive years under similar conditions. Twenty-two females were sampled both years, and most of those females were lactating in only one of the years. Individual differences in cortisol levels were stable across years, even though reproductive condition changed for most individuals. No relationship was found between age or social rank and cortisol levels. Of the females that changed reproductive conditions, cortisol levels were higher when they were lactating than when they were cycling, and the amount of change in cortisol from cycling to lactating was greatest for low-ranking individuals. Heightened reactivity to stress during lactation may be the result of concerns about infant safety, and such concerns may be higher among low-ranking mothers than among higher ranking mothers. Psychosocial stress and hyperactivation of the HPA axis during lactation can suppress immune function and increase vulnerability to infectious diseases, thus explaining why adult females in the free-ranging rhesus macaque population on Cayo Santiago have a higher probability of mortality during the birth season than during the mating season. Am. J. Primatol. 72:559,565, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Response of the hypothalamic,pituitary,adrenal axis to psychological stress in patients with psoriasisBRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 6 2005H.L. Richards Summary Background, Psoriasis may, in some patients, be triggered and/or exacerbated by stress. Objectives, As activation of the hypothalamic,pituitary,adrenal (HPA) axis is critical to a successful stress response we investigated this in patients with psoriasis. Methods, Forty patients with chronic plaque psoriasis and 40 age-matched normal controls experienced three randomly presented acute psychological stressors (cognitive, emotional and social). Serial serum cortisol, pulse rate and blood pressure assessments were undertaken at baseline and following each of the stressors. Salivary cortisol samples were collected at 09·00 h on the day of testing. Results, In control subjects there was a significant (r = 0·38; P < 0·05) correlation between pulse rate and serum cortisol level following the social performance stressor; this was not evident in the psoriasis group (r = 0·07; not significant). Patients who believed that their psoriasis was highly stress responsive had significantly lower salivary cortisol levels at baseline (P < 0·01) and lower serum cortisol levels following the social performance stressor (P = 0·016) than patients with nonstress-responsive disease who believed that stress had no impact. In contrast, there was no difference between the groups for change in pulse rate poststressor. Conclusions, This study shows that patients with psoriasis, and in particular those whose disease appears to be stress responsive, exhibit an altered HPA response to acute social stress. The implication is that such patients may perhaps be primed to flares of their psoriasis. Whether this is genetically predetermined and/or a consequence of the distress of living with psoriasis remains to be determined. [source] | ||||||||||