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

Renner, Janis; Stanulla, Miriam; Walther, Andreas; Schindler, Lena

doi:10.1016/j.cpnec.2021.100061

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Our results contrast initial findings reporting no association between hair DHEA and anxiety symptoms in a female sample of Palestinian adolescents living in the West Bank with and without trauma exposure/PTSD (Schindler et al, 2019), and in non-clinical populations (Kische et al, 2023;Renner et al, 2021;Ullmann et al, 2016;Walther et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

The role of long-term hair steroids as diagnostic and intervention-related markers in a multimorbid inpatient sample with posttraumatic stress disorder

Shkreli,

Woud,

Bergunde

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Steroid hormone dysregulations have frequently been implicated in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) pathogenesis. However, the translation into naturalistic clinical settings as markers of symptomatology and treatment success remains complex. Particularly, there is little longitudinal data on steroid secretion over the course of interventions. This study examined the potential of long-term steroid hormone secretion assessed in hair as diagnostic and intervention-related biomarkers among medicated, multimorbid inpatients with PTSD. As part of a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial, 54 female inpatients with a primary diagnosis of PTSD receiving standardised treatment provided hair samples at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 3-months follow-up. Cortisol, cortisone, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were determined, alongside clinical assessments. Cross-sectional results showed a negative association of pre-treatment DHEA with anxiety symptoms and a trend-level association with lifetime trauma exposure. While inpatients improved in PTSD symptomatology during treatment, neither pre-treatment steroids, nor treatment-induced steroid changes predicted PTSD symptoms at post-treatment or follow-up. The study highlights the challenges of establishing biomarkers in naturalistic clinical populations. While the association of attenuated DHEA with anxiety symptoms warrants further exploration, our data points towards the potential necessity of patient sub-sample selection to understand, and in the long run clinically target, the endocrine mechanisms in PTSD.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

The role of long-term hair steroids as diagnostic and intervention-related markers in a multimorbid inpatient sample with posttraumatic stress disorder

Shkreli,

Woud,

Bergunde

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…There appears to be more going on with romantic love than simply attraction and a focus of energies on a preferred mating partner. Factors not identified in Fisher’s (1998 , 2000) and Fisher et al’s (2002) model have been implicated in romantic love: cortisol ( Marazziti and Canale, 2004 ; Weisman et al, 2015 ; Renner et al, 2021 ) and nerve growth factor ( Emanuele et al, 2007 ). Opioids are also likely to play a role in romantic love (see Machin and Dunbar, 2011 ) but do not appear in Fisher’s model.…”

Section: A Theory Of Co-opting Mother-infant Bondingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Romantic love evolved by co-opting mother-infant bonding

Bode

2023

Front. Psychol.

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For 25 years, the predominant evolutionary theory of romantic love has been Fisher’s theory of independent emotion systems. That theory suggests that sex drive, romantic attraction (romantic love), and attachment are associated with distinct neurobiological and endocrinological systems which evolved independently of each other. Psychological and neurobiological evidence, however, suggest that a competing theory requires attention. A theory of co-opting mother-infant bonding sometime in the recent evolutionary history of humans may partially account for the evolution of romantic love. I present a case for this theory and a new approach to the science of romantic love drawing on human psychological, neurobiological, and (neuro)endocrinological studies as well as animal studies. The hope is that this theoretical review, along with other publications, will generate debate in the literature about the merits of the theory of co-opting mother-infant bonding and a new evolutionary approach to the science of romantic love.

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“…This is particularly problematic in endocrinological research, where findings are inconsistent. Specifically, studies do not provide consistent findings concerning cortisol ( Marazziti and Canale, 2004 ; Weisman et al, 2015 ; Sorokowski et al, 2019 ; Renner et al, 2021 ), testosterone ( Marazziti and Canale, 2004 ; Sorokowski et al, 2019 ), and serotonin ( Marazziti et al, 1999 ; Langeslag et al, 2012 ). Other disciplines (e.g., epidemiology) regularly and consistently report the socio-demographic characteristics of samples, and this adds substantially to the comparability of samples and findings across studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Researchers may also choose to administer the Infatuation Scale to all individuals in a relationship, as well as to individuals not in a romantic relationship, permitting a comparison of findings across relationship status. We refer readers to an endocrine study by Renner et al (2021) as a good example of how extensive sample characteristics reporting can enrich a study and provide a deeper understanding of the findings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward consistent reporting of sample characteristics in studies investigating the biological mechanisms of romantic love

Bode

Kowal

2023

Front. Psychol.

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In this non-systematic review, we consider the sample reporting practices of 42 studies up to and including 2021 investigating the biological mechanisms of romantic love (i.e., 31 neuroimaging studies, nine endocrinological studies, one genetics study, and one combined neuroimaging and genetics study). We searched scientific databases using key terms and drew on our and other authors’ knowledge to identify studies that investigated the mechanisms associated with romantic love using neuroimaging, endocrinological, and genetic methods. Only studies with a group or entire sample experiencing romantic love were included. The aim was to collate all relevant studies and determine the comparability of studies and ability to assess the generalizability of findings. We summarize how these studies report sex/gender, age, romantic love, relationship duration/time in love, and sample descriptors. We then outline the case for promoting comparability and the ability to determine generalizability in future studies. The findings indicate a limited ability to compare studies’ samples or make an assessment of the generalizability of findings. Existing studies are not representative of the general population in a particular country or globally. We conclude by presenting ideas about how best to report sex, age, romantic love characteristics, relationship status, time in love, relationship duration, relationship satisfaction, type of unrequited love, sexual activity, cultural characteristics, socio-economic status, student status, and method-relevant descriptors. If our ideas are adopted, in part or in whole, we expect the comparability of studies to increase. Adopting our ideas will also make it easier to make an assessment of the generalizability of findings.

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

Cited by 6 publications

References 53 publications

The role of long-term hair steroids as diagnostic and intervention-related markers in a multimorbid inpatient sample with posttraumatic stress disorder

The role of long-term hair steroids as diagnostic and intervention-related markers in a multimorbid inpatient sample with posttraumatic stress disorder

Romantic love evolved by co-opting mother-infant bonding

Toward consistent reporting of sample characteristics in studies investigating the biological mechanisms of romantic love

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