1. Salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol responsiveness to stress in first episode, drug-naïve patients with panic disorder.
- Author
-
Altamura M, Iuso S, Balzotti A, Francavilla G, Dimitri A, Cibelli G, Bellomo A, and Petito A
- Subjects
- Adaptation, Psychological physiology, Adolescent, Adult, Female, Heart Rate physiology, Humans, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System enzymology, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System metabolism, Male, Panic Disorder enzymology, Pituitary-Adrenal System enzymology, Pituitary-Adrenal System metabolism, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Saliva enzymology, Stress, Psychological complications, Young Adult, Hydrocortisone metabolism, Panic Disorder metabolism, Panic Disorder physiopathology, Salivary alpha-Amylases metabolism, Stress, Psychological physiopathology
- Abstract
Reported findings on reactivity to stress of the sympathetic-adreno-medullar (SAM) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) systems in panic disorder (PD) are very variable. This inconsistency may be explained by differences in treatment exposure, illness duration and emotion regulation strategies. The present study examined the reactivity to mental stress of the SAM and HPA axes in a sample of first episode, drug naïve patients with PD which avoids confounds of medications exposure and illness chronicity. Activation of the SAM axis was evaluated by dosage of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and heart rate. Activation of the HPA axis was tested by dosage of salivary cortisol. Psychological assessments were done by the Self-Rating Depression Scale, the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Cope Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) Inventory and the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF). Patients showed reduced sAA stress reactivity, higher baseline cortisol levels and a more rapid decrease in stress cortisol levels as compared with controls. A significant correlation was found between active coping strategies and cortisol levels (response to stress). The findings suggest that blunted SAM stress reactivity and a rapid decrease in stress cortisol levels reflect traits that may enhance vulnerability to psychopathology in patients with PD., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. and Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF