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Aims: Studies in animals and humans suggest that early life stress alters hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. The same alterations are related to the symptoms and course of alcohol dependence. This study examined relationships between childhood trauma and HPA axis activity in alcohol-dependent patients controlling for psychopathology and characteristics of dependence. Methods: Thirty-eight consecutive patients (42% female) were examined at admission to detoxification (t1) and 14 days later (t2). Morning plasma levels of cortisol and adrenocorticotropin-releasing hormone (ACTH) were determined. Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and measures of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Results: Sexual abuse was related to higher levels of cortisol during acute withdrawal (r = 0.38, p = 0.02). Levels of ACTH were negatively correlated with the CTQ total score (t2: r = –0.42, p < 0.01), emotional abuse (t2: r = –0.33, p = 0.04), emotional neglect (t2: r = –0.33, p = 0.04), and physical neglect (t2: r = –0.33, p = 0.05) controlling for psychopathology and characteristics of dependence. Conclusions: Our findings suggest, that childhood trauma is related to blunted ACTH and increased cortisol during withdrawal in alcohol-dependent patients. Early life stress might be a confounding variable in studies of HPA function in alcohol dependence and future studies should examine potential clinical consequences of these relationships. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous studies have demonstrated that prenatal caffeine ingestion induces an increased susceptibility to metabolic syndrome with alterations of glucose and lipid metabolic phenotypes in adult first generation (F1) of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) rats, and the underlying mechanism is originated from a hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis-associated neuroendocrine metabolic programming alteration in utero. This study aims to investigate the transgenerational effects of this programming alteration in adult second generation (F2). Pregnant Wistar rats were administered with caffeine (120mg/kg·d) from gestational day 11 until delivery. Four groups in F2 were set according to the cross-mating between control and caffeine-induced IUGR rats. F2 were subjected to a fortnight ice water swimming stimulus on postnatal month 4, and blood samples were collected before and after stress. Results showed that the majority of the activities of HPA axis and phenotypes of glucose and lipid metabolism were altered in F2. Particularly, comparing with the control group, caffeine groups had an enhanced corticosterone levels after chronic stress. Compared with before stress, the serum glucose levels were increased in some groups whereas the triglyceride levels were decreased. Furthermore, total cholesterol gain rates were enhanced but the high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol gain rates were decreased in most caffeine groups after stress. These transgenerational effects were characterized partially with gender and parental differences. Taken together, these results indicate that the reproductive and developmental toxicities and the neuroendocrine metabolic programming mechanism by prenatal caffeine ingestion have transgenerational effects in rats, which may help to explain the susceptibility to metabolic syndrome and associated diseases in F2., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Pediatric aggression is common in human societies, mainly presenting as impulsive aggression or predatory aggression. Numerous psychiatric disorders can contain aggression as a symptom, leading to difficulties in diagnosis and treatment. This review focuses on the biological systems that affect pediatric aggression. We review the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, and the mechanisms by which these axes influence the body and mind of aggressive children and adolescents. Although this review focuses on the HPA and HPG axes, it is important to note that other biological systems have relationships with these two axes. Based on the results of the studies reviewed, elevated cortisol concentrations were associated with impulsive aggression, whereas, low levels of cortisol were associated with callous-unemotional traits similar to predatory aggression. Higher levels of dehydroepiandrosterone were correlated with higher levels of aggression as were higher levels of testosterone. However, there have been discrepancies in the results between various studies, indicating the need for more research on hormonal levels and pediatric aggression. In the future, hormonal levels may be useful in determining what treatments will work best for certain pediatric patients.