Importance of considering testosterone-cortisol interactions in predicting human aggression and dominance

A novel "field" study recently published in Aggressive Behavior found that individual differences in baseline testosterone concentrations were positively correlated with endorsement of political aggression and that baseline cortisol concentrations were negatively correlated with self-reported aggression among Palestinian boys living in Gaza. Here, we discuss recent evidence indicating that testosterone and cortisol interact to predict competitive, aggressive, and dominant behaviors and urge researchers collecting both hormones to perform and report analyses that formally test for such interaction effects.     

The effects of attention retraining on depressive mood and cortisol responses to depression‐related stimuli1

Although it has been reported that attentional bias at an early stage is found in depression, no study has investigated the effects of modification of attentional bias at an early stage on depressive mood and cortisol response to a stressor. Therefore, this study tested the hypotheses that the modification of attentional bias at an early stage would reduce depressive mood and cortisol response. Fifty‐three participants were allocated alternately either to the training or the control group. They were administered attention retraining for modification of attentional bias or a sham attention task, and then underwent a stress task. With respect to depressive mood response, depressive mood increased in response to a stress task in the control group, while for high‐dysphoric participants in the training group, depressive mood response remained constant. These results indicate that attention retraining is efficacious for reducing depressive mood response. With respect to cortisol response, the percentage change in cortisol is associated with the amount of change in the attentional bias index scores. The results suggest the possibility that attention retraining could reduce cortisol response.     

Cardiovascular and neuroendocrine activity in preschool children: Comparison between day-care and home levels

Thirty boys and 30 girls at nine day-care centers were examined at the mean age of 3.5 and 5.5 with regard to systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and neuroendocrine activity (urinary catecholamines and cortisol) during a day at their day-care center and in their home, respectively. Compared to home levels, day-care was associated with increased heart rate, epinephrine and norepinephrine excretion and decreased cortisol levels. Systolic blood pressure decreased at the day-care centers at the age of 3.5 and increased at the age of 5.5. No significant sex differences were found. The possible role of mental and physical arousal and the dissociation between the sympathetic-adrenal medullary and the pituitary-adrenal cortical responses are discussed.     

Variation in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity among bullied and non-bullied children

We examined the relationship between being bullied during childhood and activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as assessed through repeated measures of salivary cortisol. A non-clinical sample of 154 (74 boys) predominantly Caucasian middle-class 12-year-olds each provided detailed information about their experiences with bullying and six saliva samples were standardized across time and day. Children with a history of child maltreatment, diagnosed psychiatric illness, foster care placement, medication use (psychotropic and oral contraception) and aggression directed toward peers and/or family members were excluded. Using multilevel regression and applying orthogonal polynomial contrasts to model the observed circadian pattern in the data, we found that occasional and frequent verbal peer victimization was associated with hyposecretion of cortisol when controlling for sex, pubertal status, age, depression and anxiety. This relation, however, was moderated by sex. For boys, occasional exposure was associated with higher cortisol levels, whereas for girls exposure was associated with lower cortisol levels. The present study highlights the need to consider the plight of peer-victimized children seriously, as it is associated with alterations to the HPA axis that affect males and females differently, and likely diminishes a person's ability to cope with stress, possibly placing them at risk for psychopathology and ill health.     

The Role of Neurobiological Deficits in Childhood Antisocial Behavior

ABSTRACT— Childhood-onset antisocial behavior is an important predictor of chronic and serious forms of antisocial behavior in later life. Both biological and social factors are involved in the development of abnormal behavior. We examine the underlying role of stress-response systems in the link between early social adversity and juvenile antisocial behavior, and propose that children with genetically and/or perinatally based neurobiological deficits have problems in activating these systems and therefore experience difficulties in regulating affect and behavior. Underactivity or attenuated reactivity of the stress-response systems may predispose antisocial individuals to seek out stimulation or take risks, and thereby explain deficits in learning and socialization. Further investigations of neurobiological functioning in antisocial children might not only indicate which children are more likely to persist in behaving antisocially but also guide the development of new interventions.     

人类应激内分泌轴功能状态的测量

HPA轴(下丘脑?垂体?肾上腺皮质轴, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal cortex axis)是人类重要的应激内分泌轴, 静息与应激条件下HPA轴的机能障碍能引发应激相关疾病, 而HPA轴机能障碍的表现和原因并不明确。皮质醇作为HPA轴的终端产物能直接反映HPA轴活动, 唾液皮质醇优于其他生物样本皮质醇的特性使其成为测量HPA轴活动的最优指标, 因此寻找到合适的唾液皮质醇标识来反映静息与应激条件下的HPA轴调节变化, 能促进理解HPA轴机能障碍与疾病间的神经内分泌通路。近来研究常用的是以皮质醇觉醒反应(cortisol -awakening response, CAR)与特里尔社会应激测试(Trier social stress test, TSST)来分别表示静息与应激条件下的HPA轴活动。未来研究将结合应激反应的生理、心理指标, 进一步考察HPA轴调节的脑网络, 为应激反应提供脑-神经内分泌通路的生物基础。     

新入园幼儿的皮质醇变化与上呼吸道感染的关系：气质的作用

采用酶联免疫吸附法分析唾液皮质醇和日志记录上呼吸道感染(upper respiratory tract infection; URI)的方法, 考察新入园的59名幼儿皮质醇变化与两个月期间患URI次数、持续时间的关系, 同时检测了幼儿气质在其中的作用。结果发现, 新入园幼儿在国庆小长假后的第一周内, 其皮质醇变化的整体趋势表现为下午的皮质醇水平比上午的皮质醇水平高; 上、下午皮质醇水平的变化幅度与其患URI次数显著负相关, 注意分散度与患URI次数呈显著正相关, 幼儿的自我控制能力与其患URI的平均持续时间显著负相关; 趋避性能够调节上、下午皮质醇水平变化幅度与URI的平均持续时间的关系。研究表明, 幼儿面对新入园这一急性压力事件时, 皮质醇水平的暂时性升高对免疫系统产生了一定的刺激作用来抵抗URI。幼儿气质的认知、情绪的或注意的不同过程与URI以及对皮质醇变化水平与URI关系的作用机制有所不同。     

青少年应激下皮质醇应答与风险决策相关性的性别差异

本研究旨在探讨中国青少年应激下皮质醇应答和风险决策相关性的性别差异。本研究以健康初中生为被试者, 采用特里尔社会应激测试(Trier Social Stress Test, TSST)诱发机体应激反应, 测试唾液皮质醇在应激前后不同时间段的水平, 并要求被试者在应激状态下完成气球模拟风险决策任务(Balloon Analogue Risk Task, BART)。结果发现, 男性在TSST诱导下皮质醇反应度显著高于女性, 男性中高皮质醇应答者BART表现为更高程度的冒险行为和更低的总奖励金额, 而女性中高皮质醇应答者BART表现为更高的总奖励金额。研究结果提示,中国青少年应激条件下皮质醇应答与风险决策之间的联系存在性别差异, 尤其在男性, 高皮质醇应答者更具有冒险行为。     

皮质醇日常节律与儿童问题行为及心理社会因素的关系

HPA轴(下丘脑?垂体?肾上腺皮质轴, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal cortex axis)是人体应对压力的重要神经内分泌系统, 其终产物皮质醇常作为测量压力的生物学指标。目前的研究多通过皮质醇日常节律表示静息状态下HPA轴的活动, 而日常节律因其较高的稳定性和可靠性成为儿童生理健康评估的最佳指标。儿童期迅速发育的神经内分泌系统与儿童的行为相互作用, 并受到多种心理社会因素的影响。以往研究主要关注皮质醇日常节律与儿童问题行为及心理社会因素的关系, 未来研究应讨论逆境条件下影响儿童成长的危险性因素和保护性因素, 并探索环境对儿童行为影响可能存在的内分泌机制。     

Chronic stress in the mother-infant dyad: Maternal hair cortisol,infant salivary cortisol and interactional synchrony

Stress physiology is shaped by early experience, with enduring effects on health. The relation of chronic maternal physiological stress, as indexed by hair cortisol, to infants’ stress systems and to mother-infant interaction quality has not been established. We examined maternal hair and salivary cortisol, six-month-old infants’ salivary cortisol, and mother-infant interaction in 121 mother-infant dyads. High maternal hair cortisol was related to higher infant average salivary cortisol concentration. Maternal hair cortisol and bedtime salivary cortisol were both uniquely related to infant bedtime salivary cortisol. Mothers with higher hair cortisol were more intrusive and had lower positive engagement synchrony with their infants. Maternal intrusiveness moderated the association of maternal hair cortisol and infant salivary cortisol, such that maternal hair and infant average salivary cortisol were related only when mothers were more intrusive. Maternal chronic physiological stress may upregulate infants’ developing stress systems, particularly in the context of lower mother-infant interaction quality.