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An In-Laboratory Stressor Reveals Unique Genetic Variation in Child Cortisol Output

Authors :
Raffington, Laurel
Malanchini, Margherita
Grotzinger, Andrew D.
Madole, James W.
Engelhardt, Laura E.
Sabhlok, Aditi
Youn, Cherry
Patterson, Megan W.
Harden, K. Paige
Tucker-Drob, Elliot M.
Source :
Developmental Psychology. Oct 2022 58(10):1832-1848.
Publication Year :
2022

Abstract

Dysregulation of biological stress response, as measured by cortisol output, has been a primary candidate mechanism for how social experiences become biologically embedded. Cortisol is the primary output of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. Cortisol levels vary systematically across the day and change in response to both sudden, acute stress experiences as well as prolonged exposure to environmental stress. Using data from 8- to 15-year-old twins in the Texas Twin Project, we investigate the extent to which genetic influences are shared across different measures of cortisol output: chronic cortisol accumulations in hair (n = 1,104), diurnal variation in salivary output (n = 488), and salivary response to a standardized, acute in-laboratory stressor (n = 537). Multivariate twin models indicate that genetic factors regulating cortisol response to the in-laboratory stressor are separable from those regulating baseline cortisol levels, naturally occurring diurnal variation in cortisol, and hair cortisol levels. These findings illustrate that novel environments can reveal unique genetic variation, reordering people in terms of their observed phenotype rather than only magnifying or mitigating preexisting differences.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0012-1649 and 1939-0599
Volume :
58
Issue :
10
Database :
ERIC
Journal :
Developmental Psychology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
EJ1366919
Document Type :
Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001393