Temperament and response to the Trier Social Stress Test.

Objective: The personality characteristics behavioural inhibition and neuroticism have been associated with mood and anxiety disorders and, in some studies, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hyperactivity. We recently reported that low levels of Novelty Seeking were associated with elevated plasma cortisol responses to the dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing hormone (Dex/CRH) test in healthy adults with no psychiatric disorder. The present study tested the association between temperament and HPA axis function in the same group of subjects using a standardized psychosocial neuroendocrine stress test.
Method: Subjects completed diagnostic interviews, questionnaires, and the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST).
Results: Novelty Seeking was inversely associated with plasma cortisol concentrations at baseline and throughout the TSST, but was not related to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels.
Conclusion: Results of this study extend our previous finding in the Dex/CRH test to a psychosocial stress test. Future investigations are needed to replicate these findings and further elucidate how temperament and personality are linked to HPA function.