Abstract:Background: The same reference values for cortisol have been used for adults and children, but laboratory results obtained from an adult population might not be suitable for pediatric patients. Aims: To determine morning serum basal cortisol levels in children and adolescents. Methods: The study was conducted on 120 suitable reference individuals, healthy Brazilian children and adolescents from both genders aged 4-19 years old. The method used for cortisol assessment was the chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay… Show more
“…While it is widely accepted that there are sex differences in HPA axis reactivity, especially in the cortisol response following a stressor (Handa, et al, 1994), there has been some discrepancy in reports of sex differences in baseline morning cortisol levels. Our results are consistent with studies demonstrating similar null findings of sex differences in baseline cortisol levels (e.g., (Barra, et al, 2015)).…”
Section: Trauma and Basal Cortisol Levelssupporting
Trauma alters neuroendocrine responses to stress and increases vulnerability to stress-related disorders. Yet, relationships among trauma, stress-induced neural changes and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity have not been determined. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the impact of life trauma on basal cortisol levels and neural responses to acute stress in 73 healthy individuals during brief stress and neutral-relaxing imagery using a well-established, individualized imagery method. We hypothesized that trauma experience would have a negative impact on brain function, resulting in altered basal cortisol levels via dysregulated neural control over the HPA axis system. Results showed that higher life trauma exposure was significantly associated with lower basal cortisol levels. Neuroimaging results indicated that both higher life trauma and low morning cortisol levels were associated with increased response to acute stress in limbic-medial temporal lobe (MTL) regions including the amygdala and hippocampus. A mediation analysis showed that increased limbic-MTL response to stress mediated the relationship between life trauma and low cortisol levels. Findings revealed a significant impact of lifetime trauma on neural responses to acute stress and HPA axis activity. Life trauma may sensitize limbic-MTL regions and its related peripheral systems, which could compromise stress regulation and HPA axis function, and increase risk for negative stress-related health outcomes.
“…While it is widely accepted that there are sex differences in HPA axis reactivity, especially in the cortisol response following a stressor (Handa, et al, 1994), there has been some discrepancy in reports of sex differences in baseline morning cortisol levels. Our results are consistent with studies demonstrating similar null findings of sex differences in baseline cortisol levels (e.g., (Barra, et al, 2015)).…”
Section: Trauma and Basal Cortisol Levelssupporting
Trauma alters neuroendocrine responses to stress and increases vulnerability to stress-related disorders. Yet, relationships among trauma, stress-induced neural changes and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity have not been determined. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the impact of life trauma on basal cortisol levels and neural responses to acute stress in 73 healthy individuals during brief stress and neutral-relaxing imagery using a well-established, individualized imagery method. We hypothesized that trauma experience would have a negative impact on brain function, resulting in altered basal cortisol levels via dysregulated neural control over the HPA axis system. Results showed that higher life trauma exposure was significantly associated with lower basal cortisol levels. Neuroimaging results indicated that both higher life trauma and low morning cortisol levels were associated with increased response to acute stress in limbic-medial temporal lobe (MTL) regions including the amygdala and hippocampus. A mediation analysis showed that increased limbic-MTL response to stress mediated the relationship between life trauma and low cortisol levels. Findings revealed a significant impact of lifetime trauma on neural responses to acute stress and HPA axis activity. Life trauma may sensitize limbic-MTL regions and its related peripheral systems, which could compromise stress regulation and HPA axis function, and increase risk for negative stress-related health outcomes.
“…)0–18Surplus serumImmunoassayNo gender differences1Karbasy (2015) [48]711 (? )0–19?ImmunoassayNo gender differences1Fadalti (1999) [43]82 (49%)6–18Morning sampleImmunoassayNo gender differences0Barra (2015) [49]120 (45%)12.4 ± 3Morning sampleImmunoassayNo gender differences1Chalew (1997) [50]15 (73%)12.7 ± 2.224-h blood withdrawalImmunoassayNo gender differences1Linder (1990) [51]82 (58%)8–1724-h blood withdrawalHPLNo gender differences.0Urine <8 years–Urine 8–18 yearsDorn (1996) [52]20 (55%)15.2 ± 1.124-h urine sampleImmunoassayNo gender differences1
a Number of high risks of bias out of four bias categories (selection, performance, detection, and other biases)Fig. 2Risk of bias graph presenting a summary of the judgements of the accessors concerning risk of bias across all studies included in the meta-analysis.…”
BackgroundGender-specific differences in hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity have been postulated to emerge during puberty. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to test the hypothesis that gender-specific differences in HPA axis activity are already present in childhood.MethodsFrom inception to January 2016, PubMed and EMBASE.com were searched for studies that assessed non-stimulated cortisol in serum or saliva or cortisol in 24-h urine in healthy males and females aged ≤18 years. Studies that conform with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement were reported. Standardized mean differences (95% CIs) were calculated and analyzed using fixed-effect meta-analysis stratified for age: <8 years (prepubertal) and 8–18 years (peri-/postpubertal). For comparison, we ran the same analyses using random-effects models.ResultsTwo independent assessors selected 413 out of 6158 records (7%) for full-text screening, of which 79 articles were included. Of these, 58 (with data on 16,551 subjects) were included in the meta-analysis. Gender differences in cortisol metabolism differed per age group. Boys aged <8 years had 0.18 (0.06; 0.30) nmol/L higher serum and 0.21 (0.05; 0.37) nmol/L higher salivary cortisol levels, while between 8 and 18 years, boys had 0.34 (0.28; 0.40) nmol/L lower serum and 0.42 (0.38; 0.47) nmol/L lower salivary cortisol levels. In 24-h urine, cortisol was consistently higher in boys, being 0.34 (0.05; 0.64) and 0.32 (0.17; 0.47) μg/24 h higher in the <8- and 8–18-year groups, respectively. However, gender-differences in serum cortisol <8 years and between 8 and 18 years were absent when using random-effects models.ConclusionsGender differences in cortisol metabolism are already present in childhood, with higher salivary cortisol in boys aged <8 years compared to girls. This pattern was reversed after the age of 8 years. In contrast, the gender-specific difference in cortisol production as assessed through 24-h urine did not change with age. Although differences were small, and analyses of gender differences in serum cortisol were inconclusive, they might contribute to gender-specific origins of health and disease.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13293-016-0123-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
“…Prolonged exposure to stressful events could make HPA and other stress hormone systems become hypo-functional. As suggested by Barra et al (2015), this diminished function may break down the circadian or daily rhythm of cortisol, which could further cause a profound interruption in sleeping patterns, such as difficulties awaking in the morning or falling asleep at night. Evidence from developmental psychopathology studies supported a positive association between the sleep deficits and somatic or internalizing symptoms such as headache, chronic pain, less emotional regulation, mood disorder, anxiety and depression (Harvey & Tang, 2012;Jovanovic et al, 2011;Kidger et al, 2015).…”
Bullying has been one of the most common forms of school violence in the world. Many studies have shown that victims of bullying suffer from serious psychological issues. In the current study, the relationships between three variables: bullied victim, peer support, and depression symptom were assessed, using published data from the 2009-2010 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Survey (N = 12,642). The data was collected from 314 public, Catholic, and other private schools in the United States that enrolled students from grades 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 or their equivalent in 50 states and the District of Columbia. The results indicated: (1) bullied victim was positively associated with depression symptom, with higher victimization score reporting higher depression symptoms; (2) bullied victim was negatively associated with peer support, with higher victimization score reporting lower peer support; (3) peer support was negatively related to depression symptoms; and (4) peer support partially mediates the relationship between victimization and depression symptoms among bullied students. This empirical study underscores the important role of peer support in mitigating the negative effects of bullying on the victim's depression symptoms, which also provide empirical support for intervention programs based on the peer support system.
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