Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) share certain pathophysiological pathways, including hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction. Hair glucocorticoid (GC) levels reflect longer-term HPA-axis function and can provide additional insights into the role of a dysregulated HPA-axis in PD and co-occurring cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
Objectives: In a case-control study we examined the association of PD diagnosis, clinical features and PD-CVD risk (as defined by the MetS) co-occurrence with hair GC (cortisol and cortisone) levels.
Methods: Hair samples, representing a three-month retrospective window of GC levels, were collected and analysed utilizing liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in 56 females (25 PD patients and 31 controls) of mixed ancestry, aged between 45 and 78 years (PD patients, M = 64.5, SD = 8.4; controls, M = 55.7, SD = 6.9). Multivariate regression models were constructed with PD diagnostic status, clinical features and MetS comorbidity regressed on hair GC levels, adjusting for potential confounders.
Results: The prevalence of MetS was 56.0 % in PD patients and 25.8 % in controls. Hair cortisone (adj B = 5.44, 95 % CI 2.05; 8.83, p = 0.002), but not hair cortisol levels (adj B = 0.05, 95 % CI -0.12; 0.22, p = 0.539), were significantly higher (Cohen's d = 0.87) in PD patients than in controls. Non-motor symptoms of PD (e.g., mood and anxiety) were significantly associated with hair cortisone levels (adj B = 0.29, 95 % CI 0.07; 0.51, p = 0.014). MetS was not associated with hair GC levels and there were no significant interactions between PD and MetS on hair GC levels.
Conclusions: This study is the first study reporting on hair GC levels in PD. We found chronically increased cortisone, but not cortisol, levels in PD patients compared to controls. Furthermore, hair cortisone levels were significantly positively associated with PD symptoms related to mood, anhedonia, and anxiety. Hair GC levels were not associated with PD-MetS comorbidity in this sample. Hair cortisone levels may provide additional insights into HPA-axis dysfunction in PD.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104704 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Exploring stress and depressive symptoms in pregnancy and the IL-1β, IL-6, and C-reactive protein pathway: Looking for possible biomarker targets.
Compr Psychoneuroendocrinol
February 2025
University of South Florida, College of Nursing, United States.
Background: Individuals undergo significant stress throughout pregnancy and are at high risk for depressive symptoms. Elevated stress and depressive symptoms are associated with inflammatory processes and adverse maternal-infant outcomes. However, the biological processes associated with psychosocial outcomes and the maternal immune system remain unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdministration Studies in Equine Antidoping Research: Designing Scientific Investigations to Effectively Direct Medication Control in Racehorses.
Drug Test Anal
January 2025
KL Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Lab (Pharmacology Section), School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
Article Synopsis
- Pharmacokinetics studies how drugs move through the body, focusing on absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion, while pharmacodynamics examines the drug's effects on the body.
- The combination of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies helps correlate drug concentrations with their therapeutic effects, providing valuable data for regulatory purposes and establishing administration guidelines.
- Key considerations for pharmacokinetic studies include subject characteristics, dosages, sample types, collection times, and analytical methods to ensure accurate assessment of drug effects and concentrations.
Association between some environmental risk factors and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder among children in Egypt: a case-control study.
Ital J Pediatr
January 2025
High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
Background: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a complex disease that negatively impacts the social and academic/occupational activities of children and is more common in boys than in girls.
Methods: This case-control study aimed to assess the association between some environmental risk factors and ADHD among children in Alexandria, Egypt. It was carried out at the outpatient clinics of El Shatby Pediatric University Hospital in Alexandria, Egypt, with 252 children (126 cases and 126 controls).
Muscle pseudohypertrophy as the presenting manifestation of autoimmune hypothyroidism: Hoffmann's syndrome.
BMJ Case Rep
January 2025
Internal Medicine, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Hoffmann syndrome, a rare manifestation of hypothyroid myopathy in adults, is characterised by muscle weakness, stiffness and pseudohypertrophy. Here, we report the case of a middle-aged man who presented with progressive weakness in proximal muscles (in the form of difficulty in climbing stairs, rising from a seated position, combing hair and lifting objects) and leg swelling for 6 months. Physical examination revealed pseudohypertrophy of calf muscles with pronounced symmetric weakness in proximal upper and lower limbs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that affects various body systems, including the skin and facial features. Estrogen promotes lupus in human and mouse models of SLE. In this study, we conducted an in vivo study to investigate the relationship between two estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ) and platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) on the symptoms of SLE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!