Developmental changes in cortisol secretion in normal and at-risk youth

Abstract

Adolescence is associated with an increase in the rate of certain psychiatric symptoms, and it is typically the developmental period when prodromal features of the major psychiatric disorders emerge. This is especially true of schizophrenia, with the majority of patients showing a marked postpubertal rise in schizotypal signs that predates the onset of clinical symptoms in early adulthood. Cross-sectional studies of youth have revealed a positive correlation between age and saliva cortisol level, suggesting a normative maturational increase in activity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. It has been hypothesized that this increase may trigger the expression of symptoms in vulnerable individuals. The present longitudinal study measured cortisol secretion and its relation with symptom development in samples of youth with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD), other personality disorders, or no Axis II disorder. The findings indicate moderate stability in cortisol levels across a 2-year period, with a longitudinal increase in cortisol levels over time. Cortisol levels at the first and second assessments were correlated with the severity of SPD symptoms at follow-up. The results are consistent with the notion that the HPA axis undergoes a postpubertal maturational process that moderates the expression of psychiatric symptoms.

Neurocognition and conversion to psychosis in adolescents at high-risk

“…Moreover, the current paradigm focuses on pubertal maturation, a critical period marked by substantial neurohormonal fluctuations that are sexually differentiated and speculated by some (e.g., Walker and Walder 2002) to play an integral role in the transition to psychosis. It is possible that disruptions in neurohormonal status (Walker et al, 2001) that accompany this transitional developmental period may impact neurocognition via activational and/or organizational effects on brain maturation. This concept is consistent with previous work suggesting a potential role of disruptions in prenatal gonadal hormone levels in adolescents at-risk for schizophrenia .…”

Are prenatal psychological or physical stressors associated with suboptimal outcomes in neonates born to adolescent mothers?

“…An alternative explanation is that some other adolescent-specific variable interacts with psychological distress to lead to suboptimal outcomes in the offspring. One possibility is that normative increases in basal cortisol during adolescence [20] in the context of excess levels of circulating cortisol due to psychological stress may create a fetal environment marked by excess gluccocorticoids. Further research is needed to expand on the current findings and explore more complex models of the mechanisms by which young maternal age leads to less optimal outcomes in the offspring.…”

Cortisol Levels and Hippocampus Volumes in Healthy Preadolescent Children

“…The few studies on serum cortisol in healthy children between the ages of 2 and 18 years reported similar large interindividual variability and also failed to find correlations with age (Guazzo et al 1996;Knutsson et al 1997). In contrast, studies that measured cortisol in saliva samples in children have found agerelated increases (Lupien et al 2001), with the most prominent age associations occurring between years 10 and 12 (Lupien et al 2001) and during adolescence (Netherton et al 2004;Walker et al 2001). Given the high intercorrelation of serum and saliva cortisol levels reported in children (Goodyer et al 2001), the reason for this discrepancy in findings of age associations across studies remains unclear.…”