Differential responses of salivary cortisol, amylase, and chromogranin A to academic stress

Abstract

Salivary biomarkers have been widely used to help diagnose stress, anxiety, and/or depression. This study aimed to compare the responses of three commonly investigated salivary stress biomarkers that represent the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity (cortisol; sCort) and the sympathetic activity (alpha-amylase; sAA and chromogranin A; sCgA), using academic oral presentation as a model of stress. Twenty postgraduate dental students attended the seminar class as presenter and audience. The presenters’ performances were evaluated by the instructors suggesting more stress than the audience. The saliva was collected two times: before attending class and after an academic presentation (for presenters) or during the class (for audience). The pulse rates (PR) were also recorded. The results showed that the levels of all three biomarkers, as well as PR, were significantly higher in the presenter group compared with the audience group; however, the changes were most prominent with sCort and sAA (99.56 ± 12.76% for sCort, 93.48 ± 41.29% for sAA, 16.86 ± 6.42% for sCgA, and 15.06 ± 3.41% for PR). When compared between pre-post presentation, the levels of sCgA were not different, while those of sCort and sAA were significantly increased. These results suggest more sensitive reactivity to academic stress of sCort and sAA compared with sCgA and that the response of sCgA did not necessarily follow sAA pattern even though both are claimed to reflect the sympathetic activity. More studies are needed to elucidate the roles of sCgA in stress.

Decreased sympathetic cardiovascular influences and hormone‐physiological changes in response to Covid‐19‐related adaptations under different learning environments

“…In this study, heart rate variability measures were performed, calculating the fluctuation in time intervals between subsequent heartbeats, and, thus, providing information regarding neurocardiac function generated by heart–brain interactions and dynamic non‐linear autonomic nervous system processes (McCraty & Shaffer, 2015). Thus, physiological stress—for example, sympathetic nervous system activation and cortisol release—influences memory in various ways (Roozendaal, 2002; Atsak et al, 2016; Gagnon & Wagner, 2016); the academic environment is a reasonable target for associated stress research (Lester et al, 2010; Preuss et al, 2010; Minkley et al, 2017; Myint et al, 2021; Tammayan et al, 2021). To evaluate a timed and well‐defined stressor in academic settings, previous research has mainly focused on acute stress before and during examinations, which consistently resulted in increased cortisol concentrations (Evans et al, 1994; Lacey et al, 2000; Spangler et al, 2002; Weekes et al, 2006; Takatsuji et al, 2008; Preuss et al, 2010).…”

Baseline states of mind differentially affected diurnal salivary stress biomarkers: A preliminary study

“…More studies are needed regarding the use of sCgA as a stress marker. A previous study from our group also found sCgA to be not as sensitive as sCort or sAA to indicate stress [ 31 ].…”

Salivary mental stress biomarkers in COVID-19 patients

“…A substantial number of large-scale studies demonstrated that increased level of sCort, sAA, and sCgA indicated the activity of the HPA/SAM system in response to various stress models—psychological, physical, academic, post-traumatic, etc. ( 17 , 28 , 38 , 42 – 45 ). Although sCort and sAA are generally used to indicate activation of the HPA/SAM system, there is more evidence that sCgA is mostly used as a SAM system marker ( 33 , 43 , 45 ).…”

“…( 17 , 28 , 38 , 42 – 45 ). Although sCort and sAA are generally used to indicate activation of the HPA/SAM system, there is more evidence that sCgA is mostly used as a SAM system marker ( 33 , 43 , 45 ).…”