The Cortisol Awakening Response: Regulation and Functional Significance.

In healthy individuals, the majority of cortisol secretion occurs within several hours surrounding morning awakening. A highly studied component of this secretory period is the cortisol awakening response (CAR), the rapid increase in cortisol levels across the first 30 to 45 minutes after morning awakening. This strong cortisol burst at the start of the active phase has been proposed to be functional in preparing the organism for the challenges of the upcoming day.

Targeting neuroendocrine abnormalities in Parkinson's disease with exercise.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a prevalent and complex age-related neurodegenerative condition for which there are no disease-modifying treatments currently available. The pathophysiological process underlying PD remains incompletely understood but increasing evidence points to multiple system dysfunction. Interestingly, the past decade has produced evidence that exercise not only reduces signs and symptoms of PD but is also potentially neuroprotective.

The Interrelated Multifactorial Actions of Cortisol and Klotho: Potential Implications in the Pathogenesis of Parkinson's Disease.

The pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is complex, multilayered, and not fully understood, resulting in a lack of effective disease-modifying treatments for this prevalent neurodegenerative condition. Symptoms of PD are heterogenous, including motor impairment as well as non-motor symptoms such as depression, cognitive impairment, and circadian disruption. Aging and stress are important risk factors for PD, leading us to explore pathways that may either accelerate or protect against cellular aging and the detrimental effects of stress.

Evaluation and update of the expert consensus guidelines for the assessment of the cortisol awakening response (CAR).

The cortisol awakening response (CAR) is frequently assessed in psychobiological (stress) research. Obtaining reliable CAR data, however, requires careful attention to methodological detail. To promote best practice, expert consensus guidelines on the assessment of the CAR were published (Stalder et al.

Smaller Cortisol Awakening Responses Are Associated with Greater Visual Dependence in Postural Control.

There are known links between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and systems responsible for regulating posture. Our aim was to explore directly, for the first time, whether an aspect of circadian HPA axis activity (the cortisol awakening response: CAR) was associated with greater visual dependency in postural control. For measurement of the CAR, electronically monitored saliva samples were collected by participants following morning awakening in their home environment.

The cortisol awakening response predicts a same-day index of executive function in healthy young adults.

The cortisol awakening response (CAR) is associated with various aspects of cognition, including executive function, in older adult and clinical samples. However, the association between these variables in the healthy functioning population is not well understood due to the limited number of appropriately controlled studies. This study explored the association between the CAR and a set shifting index of executive function in 55 (44 females) healthy participants aged 20.

Stress, the cortisol awakening response and cognitive function.

There is evidence that stress-induced disruption of the circadian rhythm of cortisol secretion, has negative consequences for brain health. The cortisol awakening response (CAR) is the most prominent and dynamic aspect of this rhythm. It has complex regulatory mechanisms making it distinct from the rest of the cortisol circadian rhythm, and is frequently investigated as a biomarker of stress and potential intermediary between stress and impaired brain function.

Salivary cortisol as a non-invasive window on the brain.

The validation of accurate and meaningful assessment of cortisol in saliva samples has proved revolutionary in stress research. Its many advantages have expanded the scope of investigation from traditional laboratory and clinical settings to include multidisciplinary and community-based research. These developments have given rise to a wealth insight into the links between stress and health.

Psychological stress reactivity and future health and disease outcomes: A systematic review of prospective evidence.

Background: Acute psychological stress activates the sympatho-adrenal medullary (SAM) system and hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. The relevance of this stress reactivity to long-term health and disease outcomes is of great importance. We examined prospective studies in apparently healthy adults to test the hypothesis that the magnitude of the response to acute psychological stress in healthy adults is related to future health and disease outcomes.

The cortisol awakening response predicts response inhibition in the afternoon of the same day.

The cortisol awakening response (CAR) is the rapid increase of cortisol levels 30-45 min after awakening in the morning. Numerous studies have indicated the relationship between the CAR and cognition. However, little is known about daily variation in the CAR and cognitive function in healthy adults.

Physical fitness and prior physical activity are both associated with less cortisol secretion during psychosocial stress.

Background: Evidence linking fitness and decreased psychosocial stress comes from studies of athletes and typically relies upon self-report measures. Furthermore, there is little evidence regarding the impact of physical activity (PA) prior to a stressor. The aims of this study were to determine whether fitness and prior PA influence cortisol concentrations during psychosocial stress.

Salivary diurnal cortisol profiles in patients suffering from chronic breathlessness receiving supportive and palliative care services: A cross-sectional study.

Chronic breathlessness is a common source of psychological and physical stress in patients with advanced or progressive disease, suggesting that hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation may be prevalent. The aim of this study was to measure the salivary diurnal cortisol profile in patients receiving supportive and palliative care for a range of malignant and non-malignant conditions and to compare the profile of those experiencing moderate-to-severe disability due to breathlessness against that of patients with mild/no breathlessness and that of healthy controls. Saliva samples were collected over two consecutive weekdays at 3, 6, and 12h after awakening in 49 patients with moderate-to-severe breathlessness [Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnoea grade ≥3], 11 patients with mild/no breathlessness (MRC dyspnoea grade ≤2), and 50 healthy controls.

Assessment of the cortisol awakening response: Real-time analysis and curvilinear effects of sample timing inaccuracy.

The cortisol awakening response (CAR) is typically measured in the domestic setting. Moderate sample timing inaccuracy has been shown to result in erroneous CAR estimates and such inaccuracy has been shown partially to explain inconsistency in the CAR literature. The need for more reliable measurement of the CAR has recently been highlighted in expert consensus guidelines where it was pointed out that less than 6% of published studies provided electronic-monitoring of saliva sampling time in the post-awakening period.

Breathlessness and inflammation: potential relationships and implications.

Purpose Of Review: Breathlessness and chronic inflammation both span a wide range of disease contexts and hold prognostic significance. The possibility of a causal relationship between the two has been hypothesized. The aims of this article are to review the intersections between breathlessness and inflammation in the literature, describe potential mechanisms connecting the two phenomena, and discuss the potential clinical implications of a causal relationship.

Use of Salivary Diurnal Cortisol as an Outcome Measure in Randomised Controlled Trials: a Systematic Review.

Background: Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is associated with diverse adverse health outcomes, making it an important therapeutic target. Measurement of the diurnal rhythm of cortisol secretion provides a window into this system. At present, no guidelines exist for the optimal use of this biomarker within randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Hair cortisol concentrations in relation to ill-being and well-being in healthy young and old females.

Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) provides a retrospective measure of long-term (i.e. over a period of months) cortisol secretion and has been shown to be elevated in relation to chronic stress conditions.

Relationship between post-awakening salivary cortisol and melatonin secretion in healthy participants.

We report the relationship between patterns of post-awakening salivary melatonin and cortisol secretion in healthy participants (n = 51; mean age 21.6 ± 5.0 years).

The cortisol awakening response is associated with performance of a serial sequence reaction time task.

There is emerging evidence of a relationship between the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and the neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory. The aim of this study was to determine whether the CAR is associated with acquisition, retention and overnight consolidation or improvement of a serial sequence reaction time task. Salivary samples were collected at 0, 15, 30 and 45 min after awakening in 39 healthy adults on 2 consecutive days.

Assessment of the cortisol awakening response: Expert consensus guidelines.

The cortisol awakening response (CAR), the marked increase in cortisol secretion over the first 30-45 min after morning awakening, has been related to a wide range of psychosocial, physical and mental health parameters, making it a key variable for psychoneuroendocrinological research. The CAR is typically assessed from self-collection of saliva samples within the domestic setting. While this confers ecological validity, it lacks direct researcher oversight which can be problematic as the validity of CAR measurement critically relies on participants closely following a timed sampling schedule, beginning with the moment of awakening.

The cortisol awakening response predicts same morning executive function: results from a 50-day case study.

A relationship between individual differences in trait estimates of the cortisol-awakening response (CAR) and indices of executive function (EF) has been reported. However, it is difficult to determine causality from such studies. The aim of the present study was to capitalise upon state variation in both variables to seek stronger support for causality by examining daily co-variation.

The role of peer physical activity champions in the workplace: a qualitative study.

Aims: Peer health champions have been suggested as an important component of multilevel workplace interventions to promote healthy behaviours such as physical activity (PA). There is accumulating quantitative evidence of their effectiveness but as yet little exploration of why and how champions influence peer behaviour. The current study explores the role of peer physical activity champions (PPACs) in influencing colleagues' PA behaviour from the perspectives of both champions and colleagues.

Detailed time course of the cortisol awakening response in healthy participants.

The cortisol awakening response (CAR) can be assessed from saliva samples collected at home, which confers ecological validity but lacks researcher oversight. Participant non-adherence to requested saliva sampling regimes leads to inaccurate CAR estimates. Moderate sampling delays of just 8 (5-15) min between awakening and commencement of saliva sampling are reported to result in over-estimated CAR magnitude and earlier peaking.

Post awakening salivary cortisol secretion and trait well-being: The importance of sample timing accuracy.

Indices of post awakening cortisol secretion (PACS), include the rise in cortisol (cortisol awakening response: CAR) and overall cortisol concentrations (e.g., area under the curve with reference to ground: AUCg) in the first 30-45 min.

Reduced memory skills and increased hair cortisol levels in recent Ecstasy/MDMA users: significant but independent neurocognitive and neurohormonal deficits.

Objectives: The goals of this study were to measure the neurocognitive performance of recent users of recreational Ecstasy and investigate whether it was associated with the stress hormone cortisol.

Methods: The 101 participants included 27 recent light users of Ecstasy (one to four times in the last 3 months), 23 recent heavier Ecstasy users (five or more times) and 51 non-users. Rivermead paragraph recall provided an objective measure for immediate and delayed recall.