CortiLove: A pilot study on hair steroids in the context of being in love and separation.

While romantic infatuation and separation influence psychological and physiological functioning, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis with its biomarkers cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and progesterone central for coping and distress has been scarcely researched in this context. In particular, endocrine hair analyses assumed to be more valid than saliva or blood assessments for studying long-term processes have not yet been conducted in the context of romantic love. Thus, 101 female subjects in phases of infatuation ( = 16), separation ( = 14), long-term relationships ( = 40), and singlehood ( = 31) reported psychological distress and provided 1 cm hair samples for the assessment of long-term integrated cortisol, DHEA, and progesterone over the last month.

Lifetime Trauma History and Cognitive Functioning in Major Depression and Their Role for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Outcome.

Background: While cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the gold-standard psychological treatment for major depression (MD), non-response and lacking stability of treatment gains are persistent issues. Potential factors influencing treatment outcome might be lifetime trauma history and possibly associated primarily prefrontal-cortex- and hippocampus-dependent cognitive alterations.

Method: We investigated MD and healthy control participants with (MD+T+, n = 37; MD-T+, n = 39) and without lifetime trauma history (MD+T-, n = 26; MD-T-, n = 45) regarding working memory, interference susceptibility, conflict adaptation, and autobiographical memory specificity.

How to deal with non-detectable and outlying values in biomarker research: Best practices and recommendations for univariate imputation approaches.

Non-detectable (ND) and outlying concentration values (OV) are a common challenge of biomarker investigations. However, best practices on how to aptly deal with the affected cases are still missing. The high methodological heterogeneity in biomarker-oriented research, as for example, in the field of psychoneuroendocrinology, and the statistical bias in some of the applied methods may compromise the robustness, comparability, and generalizability of research findings.

Cognitive functioning in posttraumatic stress disorder before and after cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Although substantial evidence suggests altered executive functioning and autobiographical memory in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the clinical significance of these findings remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on different aspects of cognitive functioning (working memory, interference susceptibility, conflict adaptation, autobiographical memory) in PTSD patients in a pre-post control group design with a nested cross-sectional element. Cross-sectional analyses at baseline were conducted on 58 PTSD patients, 39 traumatized (TC), and 45 non-traumatized controls (NTC).

Ecological momentary assessment in posttraumatic stress disorder and coping. An eHealth study protocol.

: It is well known from cross-sectional studies that individual coping strategies significantly influence the pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Equally, undisputed is the role of biological processes, e.g.

Victims of War: Dehydroepiandrosterone Concentrations in Hair and Their Associations with Trauma Sequelae in Palestinian Adolescents Living in the West Bank.

Due to its anti-glucocorticoid properties, the steroid hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) might play a role for coping with traumatic stress and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The majority of studies report elevated DHEA secretion and decreased cortisol/DHEA ratio associated with traumatic stress, however, contrasting results have also been published. One reason for this heterogeneity might be that in past studies, DHEA has been measured in plasma or saliva samples reflecting acute hormone levels.

Hair cortisol concentration in patients with active central serous chorioretinopathy is elevated - a pilot study.

Purpose: To investigate hair cortisol concentration (HCC), a biochemical correlate of long-term cortisol output patterns, and its relationship to active central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).

Methods: Twenty-six participants were included in this observational pilot study (11 patients with active CSC and 15 healthy controls). Hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs) were determined from 3 cm hair strands collected near the scalp from patients and controls as an index of cumulative cortisol secretion over the 3-month period prior to hair sampling.

Victims of war-Psychoendocrine evidence for the impact of traumatic stress on psychological well-being of adolescents growing up during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Violent conflicts are severe traumatic stressors with detrimental effects on physical and mental health, with children and adolescents being particularly at risk. For the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, characteristic patterns of dysregulation in trauma-exposed individuals have been shown. This study set out to investigate self-reported mental well-being in Palestinian adolescents growing up during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.