Asymmetry between salivary cortisol and α-amylase reactivity to stress: Relation to aggressive behavior in adolescents

• Published in: Psychoneuroendocrinology 2006-09, Vol.31 (8), p.976-987
• Main Authors: Gordis, Elana B., Granger, Douglas A., Susman, Elizabeth J., Trickett, Penelope K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescence; Adolescent; Aggression; Aggression - physiology; alpha-Amylases - metabolism; Area Under Curve; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers; Child; Cortisol; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hormones and behavior; HPA axis; Humans; Hydrocortisone - metabolism; Male; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Regression Analysis; Saliva - enzymology; Saliva - metabolism; Salivary α-amylase; Stress, Psychological - enzymology; Stress, Psychological - metabolism; Sympathetic nervous system
• ISSN: 0306-4530; 1873-3360
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2006.05.010

This study used a multiple physiological systems measurement approach to test the hypothesis that asymmetry between the major components of the psychobiology of stress is associated with atypical behavior in youth [Bauer, A.M., Quas, J.A., Boyce, W.T., 2002. Associations between physiological reactivity and children's behavior: advantages of a multisystem approach. J. Dev. Behav. Pediatr. 23, 102–113]. Adolescents ( N=67; ages 10–14; 52% male) provided 2 saliva samples before, and 4 samples after, a modified Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum, C., Pirke, K., Hellhammer, D.H., 1993. The “Trier Social Stress Test”: a tool for investigating psychobiological stress responses in a laboratory setting. Neuropsychobiology 28, 76–81). Samples were assayed for cortisol (C) and α-amylase (A-A), a surrogate marker of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity. Parents/guardians and adolescents reported on adolescents’ aggressive behavior. Both salivary A-A and C increased in response to the TSST, with a peak response for A-A immediately post-TSST and for C 10 min post-TSST. A-A and C stress reactivity were estimated using area under the curve (AUC). Asymmetrical C and A-A reactivity accounted for 7% of the variance in parent-reported adolescent aggression. At lower levels of A-A reactivity, lower C reactivity corresponded to higher aggression ratings, but at high A-A reactivity levels, C reactivity was not related to aggression. These results support the hypothesis of Bauer et al. and underscore the importance of a multiple systems measurement approach in biosocial models of adolescent aggression.