Biomedical subjects

Juliane Hellhammer

Publications and source records attributed to Juliane Hellhammer.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Attenuation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responsivity to the Trier Social Stress Test by the benzodiazepine alprazolam.

Little is known about effects of commonly used anxiolytic drugs on psychologically evoked responses of two major stress systems, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) axis. The purpose of the present study was to assess effects of the anxiolytic alprazolam on responses of the HPA and the SAM axes to a standardized psychosocial stress protocol, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Forty-six healthy, non-smoking, non-medicated males, aged between 18 and 45 years, were invited once to the laboratory and received a single oral dose of 1mg alprazolam or placebo, respectively, 1h prior to the TSST. The secretion of ACTH, cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine as well as changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and psychological states (anxiety, wakefulness, good mood, calmness) in response to the TSST were measured. Subjects pre-treated with alprazolam showed a strongly blunted response of ACTH as well as total and free cortisol to the TSST. Whereas alprazolam-treated subjects displayed significantly lower systolic blood pressure immediately before the TSST, neither the secretion of epinephrine, norepinephrine nor changes of heart rate in response to the stress test differed from placebo-treated subjects. Regarding psychological parameters, alprazolam clearly decreased subjective ratings on the questionnaire scale "wakefulness" and increased ratings on the scale "good mood", whereas ratings on scales assessing "state anxiety" or "agitation" were not affected. In healthy subjects, we observed a dissociation of the effects of alprazolam on the endocrine and the autonomic response to psychosocial stress. The psychological responses seemed to be masked by sedative properties of alprazolam.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Parity does not alter baseline or stimulated activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in women.

Pregnancy is associated with considerable physiological adaptations, some of which long outlast the state of pregnancy. Although it is well documented that pregnancy produces alterations of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, the longer-term effects of pregnancy on this system have not been systematically examined in humans. Subjects in the present study were 159 nulliparous and 265 parous women. Data analysis revealed no impact of parity on baseline activity (salivary cortisol: response to awakening, F </= .03, day profile: F </= 3.89, both n.s.). In a subsample, similar results were obtained for dexamethasone-suppressed salivary cortisol levels (all F </= 1.45 n.s., n = 45), as well as salivary cortisol, total cortisol, and ACTH responses to stimulation with a psychosocial stress protocol (all F </= .93 n.s., n = 47). These findings suggest that parity is not associated with long-term alterations of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, and postpregnancy measures can, therefore, be used as proxy markers for a woman's prepregnancy status of this system.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

PubMed2005

Trait anxiety moderates the impact of performance pressure on salivary cortisol in everyday life.

Stress and negative affective states are associated with cortisol in everyday life. However, it remains unclear what types of stressors and which affective states yield these associations, and the effect of trait anxiety is unknown. This study investigates the associations of specific task-related stressors and negative affective states in everyday life with salivary cortisol, and explores the mediating and moderating role of state negative affect and trait anxiety, respectively. Salivary cortisol, subjective stress, and state negative affect were measured three times a day on 2 days in 71 participants in everyday life, using a handheld computer to collect self-reports and time stamps and an electronic device to monitor saliva sampling compliance. Stress measures comprised the experience of performance pressure and failure during daily tasks; measures of negative affect comprised worn-out, tense, unhappy, and angry. Effects were tested using multilevel fixed-occasion models. Momentary performance under pressure was related to higher momentary cortisol measures, while mean task failure was related to lower daily cortisol concentrations. The association of performance pressure with cortisol varied between subjects, and this variation was explained by trait anxiety, yielding stronger associations in participants scoring high on trait anxiety. No evidence was found for a mediating role of state negative affect. These results describe the well-documented associations of everyday stressors and affect with salivary cortisol more precisely, suggesting that performance pressure is a significant condition related to short-term changes in cortisol. Subjects scoring high on trait anxiety seem to process stress-relevant information in a way that amplifies the association of performance pressure with reactions of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2005

A new view on hypocortisolism.

Low cortisol levels have been observed in patients with different stress-related disorders such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Data suggest that these disorders are characterized by a symptom triad of enhanced stress sensitivity, pain, and fatigue. This overview will present data on the development, mechanisms and consequences of hypocortisolism on different bodily systems. We propose that the phenomenon of hypocortisolism may occur after a prolonged period of hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis due to chronic stress as illustrated in an animal model. Further evidence suggests that despite symptoms such as pain, fatigue and high stress sensitivity, hypocortisolism may also have beneficial effects on the organism. This assumption will be underlined by some studies suggesting protective effects of hypocortisolism for the individual.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Perceived work overload and chronic worrying predict weekend-weekday differences in the cortisol awakening response.

OBJECTIVE: The cortisol increase after awakening has been shown to be associated with work-related stress. Several studies demonstrated a moderate stability of cortisol awakening responses on subsequent days, suggesting situation-dependent variance. This study tests whether cortisol awakening responses are different on weekdays compared with weekend days and whether such differences may be explained by chronic work overload and worrying. METHODS: Two hundred nineteen participants took saliva samples immediately after awakening and 30, 45, and 60 minutes later on 6 consecutive days starting on Saturday. Perceived chronic work overload and worrying were assessed by a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: There is a clear weekend-weekday difference in the cortisol response to awakening. This difference is associated with chronic work overload and worry. Independent of sex and weekend-weekday differences in time of awakening and sleep duration, participants who report higher levels of chronic work overload and worrying show a stronger increase and higher mean levels of cortisol after awakening on weekdays, but not on weekend days. CONCLUSIONS: The weekend-weekday differences in the cortisol awakening response and their association with chronic stress clearly demonstrate that the day of cortisol assessment is crucial in psychoendocrinological stress studies.

Adult↗