Child maltreatment and the developing HPA axis

Tarullo, Amanda R.; Gunnar, Megan R.

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.06.010

Cited by 590 publications

(494 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Diurnal cortisol secretion has been associated with personal traits, such as optimism (Jobin et al, 2014) and fearfulness . Diurnal secretion has also been linked to early adverse experiences, such as maltreatment and neglect (Cicchetti et al, 2010;Fries et al, 2008;Tarullo and Gunnar, 2006). Similar findings are also emerging in regards to peer victimization in adolescence (Ouellet-Morin et al, 2011a;Ouellet-Morin et al, 2011b;Vaillancourt et al, 2008), reflecting the sensitive nature of HPA axis activity to changing social environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Evidence of a unique and common genetic etiology between the CAR and the remaining part of the diurnal cycle: A study of 14 year-old twins

Ouellet‐Morin

Brendgen

Girard

et al. 2016

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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Introduction: By and large, studies have reported moderate contributions of genetic factors to cortisol secreted in the early morning and even smaller estimates later in the day. In contrast, the cortisol awakening response (CAR) has shown much stronger heritability estimates, which prompted the hypothesis that the etiology of cortisol secretion may vary according to the time of day. A direct test of this possibility has, however, not yet been performed. Objective: To describe the specific and common etiology of the CAR, awakening level and cortisol change from morning to evening in an agehomogenous sample of twin adolescents. Methods: A total of 592 participants of the Québec Newborn Twin Study, a population-based 1995-1998 cohort of families with twins in Canada, have collected saliva at awakening, 30 minutes later, at the end of afternoon and in the evening over four collection days.Results: Multivariate Cholesky model showed both specific and common sources of variance between the CAR, awakening and cortisol diurnal change. The CAR had the strongest heritability estimates, which, for the most part, did not overlap with the other indicators. Conversely, similar magnitudes of genetic and environmental contributions were detected at awakening and for diurnal change, which partially overlapped. Conclusion: Our study unraveled differences between the latent etiologies of the CAR and the rest of the diurnal cycle, which may contribute to identify regulatory genes and environments and detangle how these indicators each relate to physical and mental health.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Evidence of a unique and common genetic etiology between the CAR and the remaining part of the diurnal cycle: A study of 14 year-old twins

Ouellet‐Morin

Brendgen

Girard

et al. 2016

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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“…Studies of children reared in institutions have shown that lack of caregiver sensitivity and positive regard is associated with a general suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and that this can recover if the environment improves. For example, in 2006 Dozier and colleagues reported alterations in the production of salivary cortisol in maltreated toddlers in foster care and substantial recovery has been demonstrated with environmental improvement Tarullo and Gunnar, 2006). There is, however, no available research indicating the extent to which these changes can persist into middle childhood and the issue has not been explored in non-institutionalised schoolage children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During development, cortisol production is modulated in in response to the social environment of the child (Tarullo and Gunnar, 2006;Dozier et al, 2008;Hunter et al, 2011). By school-age, under optimal conditions, cortisol levels peak in the morning about 30 minutes after waking, followed by a gradual decrease towards evening (Gunnar and Donzella, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cortisol secretion in children with symptoms of reactive attachment disorder

Kočovská

Wilson

Young

et al. 2013

Psychiatry Research

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Maltreated children with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) have severe problems with social relationships and affect regulation. An association between early maltreatment and changes in the daily rhythm of cortisol secretion has already been reported for maltreated toddlers. We sought to find out whether such changes were apparent in school-age children with symptoms of RAD, who had experienced early maltreatment but were currently adopted in well functioning families. We recruited 66 children: 34 5-12 year old adopted children with an early history of maltreatment and with social difficulties such as indiscriminate friendliness; and 32 age-and sex-matched comparison children with no history of maltreatment or social difficulties. Daily rhythms of cortisol production were determined from saliva samples collected over two days.The adopted group had significantly lower absolute levels of cortisol compared to the control group, but a typical profile of cortisol secretion. There was no association between cortisol secretion and symptom scores for psychopathology.

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“…In a number of previous studies, children between 1 and 5 y of age were unlikely to show a physiological response (i.e., an increase in cortisol levels) to mildly threatening situations, such as being in an unfamiliar environment or being approached by an unfamiliar person (11,12). This human equivalent to the so-called hyporesponsive phase reported in rodents is thought to protect the developing brain from potentially harmful effects of acute stress (13). However, this idea is somewhat at odds with a minority of studies in which stress induction did lead to increased cortisol levels in young children (14,15).…”

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confidence: 99%

Stress impairs cognitive flexibility in infants

Seehagen

Schneider

Rudolph

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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In human adults, learning and memory under acute stress are characterized by an increased use of rigid habitual response strategies at the cost of flexible cognitive strategies. The immediate effects of stress on cognitive functioning early in life are not well understood. Here we show experimentally that acute stress leads human infants to perform habitual behavior rigidly. We found that 15-mo-old infants exposed to stress thereafter kept performing a previously effective action, even after the action suddenly became ineffective. Infants in a no-stress control group flexibly adjusted their behavior by disengaging from the newly ineffective action in favor of exploring an alternative action. This finding demonstrates that stress impairs infants' ability to adjust their behavior to changing circumstances.S tress is pervasive in modern society. It is by definition aversive, but how potentially stressful experiences affect a person depends on a variety of factors, such as the person's age, developmental history, temperament, and the type of stressor (1, 2). Thus, the very same set of challenges that inspires peak performance in some people might leave others drained. In addition to its relevance for mental and physical well-being, stress alters the way human adults think. Learning and memory under acute stress are characterized by increased use of rigid habitual response strategies at the cost of flexible cognitive strategies (3-5). For example, stressed adults continue to select a particular beverage even after they have become satiated with its flavor, whereas satiated nonstressed adults select a new beverage (4). This shift from hippocampus-dependent to dorsal striatum-dependent memory is mediated by an increase of the stress hormone cortisol (6-8).In the first years of life, core characteristics of the human brain are its rapid development and high plasticity (9). Providing infants with a caring and stimulating environment is generally considered ideal for fostering cognitive development (10). One reason is that infants growing up in such an environment are protected from frequent stress exposure. However, the immediate consequences of stress exposure on infant cognition are not well understood. In a number of previous studies, children between 1 and 5 y of age were unlikely to show a physiological response (i.e., an increase in cortisol levels) to mildly threatening situations, such as being in an unfamiliar environment or being approached by an unfamiliar person (11,12). This human equivalent to the so-called hyporesponsive phase reported in rodents is thought to protect the developing brain from potentially harmful effects of acute stress (13). However, this idea is somewhat at odds with a minority of studies in which stress induction did lead to increased cortisol levels in young children (14,15). Furthermore, chronic stress exposure early in life is associated with long-term impairments in cognitive functioning (16). Thus, even if a cortisol response can be difficult to elicit, it seems unlikely that early...

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Child maltreatment and the developing HPA axis

Cited by 590 publications

References 55 publications

Evidence of a unique and common genetic etiology between the CAR and the remaining part of the diurnal cycle: A study of 14 year-old twins

Evidence of a unique and common genetic etiology between the CAR and the remaining part of the diurnal cycle: A study of 14 year-old twins

Cortisol secretion in children with symptoms of reactive attachment disorder

Stress impairs cognitive flexibility in infants

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