TY - JOUR
T1 - Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation in dysphoric children and adolescents
T2 - Cortisol reactivity to psychosocial stress from preschool through middle adolescence
AU - Hankin, Benjamin L.
AU - Badanes, Lisa S.
AU - Abela, John R.Z.
AU - Watamura, Sarah E.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported, in part, by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grant ( 1 RO3 HD054718-01 ) and a Grant from the Foundation for Child Development awarded to SEW, Administration for Children and Families Grant ( 90YE0091-01 ) awarded to LSB, and National Institute of Mental Health Grant ( 5R01 MH077195 ) awarded to BLH and JRZA. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Mental Health or National Institutes of Health.
PY - 2010/9/1
Y1 - 2010/9/1
N2 - Background: Most depressed adults exhibit dysregulation of the hypothalamicpituitaryadrenal axis, including cortisol hyperreactivity to psychosocial challenge. In contrast, remarkably little is known about hypothalamicpituitaryadrenal axis activity in response to psychosocial challenge among at-risk children and adolescents. This study examined cortisol response to psychosocial challenge in nondepressed, at-risk, dysphoric and nondysphoric control youth across different developmentally salient age groups (preschool, third-, sixth-, and ninth-graders). Methods: Two samples of youth (Study 1preschoolers; Study 2third-, sixth-, and ninth-graders) without a history of clinical depression were administered developmentally appropriate psychosocial challenges. Of these nondepressed children, we examined youth at high-risk (n = 60) and low-risk (n = 223) status, as defined by elevated but subthreshold dysphoric symptoms according to multiple informants. Cortisol levels were assessed before and after a psychosocial stressor. Results: Nondysphoric control youth at all ages displayed the expected cortisol rise to challenge followed by return to baseline. However, prepubertal, at-risk, dysphoric children-specifically preschoolers and third-graders-exhibited cortisol hyporeactivity to challenge, whereas postpubertal dysphoric adolescents (ninth-graders) displayed hyperreactivity to the stressor. Additional analyses revealed that this switch from cortisol hyporeactivity to hyperreactivity among at-risk, dysphoric youth occurred as a function of pubertal development. Conclusions: Findings suggest a developmental switch in cortisol response for at-risk, dysphoric youth from preschool through adolescence and have implications for a developmental pathophysiological understanding of how at-risk youth across the lifespan might develop depressive disorder.
AB - Background: Most depressed adults exhibit dysregulation of the hypothalamicpituitaryadrenal axis, including cortisol hyperreactivity to psychosocial challenge. In contrast, remarkably little is known about hypothalamicpituitaryadrenal axis activity in response to psychosocial challenge among at-risk children and adolescents. This study examined cortisol response to psychosocial challenge in nondepressed, at-risk, dysphoric and nondysphoric control youth across different developmentally salient age groups (preschool, third-, sixth-, and ninth-graders). Methods: Two samples of youth (Study 1preschoolers; Study 2third-, sixth-, and ninth-graders) without a history of clinical depression were administered developmentally appropriate psychosocial challenges. Of these nondepressed children, we examined youth at high-risk (n = 60) and low-risk (n = 223) status, as defined by elevated but subthreshold dysphoric symptoms according to multiple informants. Cortisol levels were assessed before and after a psychosocial stressor. Results: Nondysphoric control youth at all ages displayed the expected cortisol rise to challenge followed by return to baseline. However, prepubertal, at-risk, dysphoric children-specifically preschoolers and third-graders-exhibited cortisol hyporeactivity to challenge, whereas postpubertal dysphoric adolescents (ninth-graders) displayed hyperreactivity to the stressor. Additional analyses revealed that this switch from cortisol hyporeactivity to hyperreactivity among at-risk, dysphoric youth occurred as a function of pubertal development. Conclusions: Findings suggest a developmental switch in cortisol response for at-risk, dysphoric youth from preschool through adolescence and have implications for a developmental pathophysiological understanding of how at-risk youth across the lifespan might develop depressive disorder.
KW - Children
KW - cortisol
KW - depression
KW - stress
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U2 - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.04.004
DO - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.04.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 20497900
AN - SCOPUS:77955665372
SN - 0006-3223
VL - 68
SP - 484
EP - 490
JO - Biological Psychiatry
JF - Biological Psychiatry
IS - 5
ER -