Diurnal Variation of Adrenocortical Activity in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

MacHale, Siobhan; Cavanagh, Jonathan; Bennie, J.; Carroll, Stephen; Goodwin, Guy M.; Lawrie, Stephen M.

doi:10.1159/000026543

Cited by 67 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Another possibility is that low morning cortisol levels allow greater activation of immune and inflammatory factors that are typically constrained by corticosteroids and known to produce higher fatigue and malaise (41)(42)(43). Research has reported cross-sectional associations between low basal cortisol and burnout (15) as well as serious fatigue, pain, and inflammatory conditions including chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)44). Our results provide evidence, at least for subclinical changes on a day-to-day basis, that the likely causal direction is from low cortisol levels to greater fatigue and symptom experience.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cross-sectional studies have shown that participants with higher current chronic stress show a larger CAR (15-17). Others have found low cortisol levels and͞or flatter diurnal cortisol rhythms to be associated with a history of exposure to stressful social experiences (11,18) and the presence of disorders such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis (19)(20)(21)(22)(23). It is often concluded that stressful experiences are responsible for alterations in diurnal cortisol activity and that variations in cortisol levels or rhythms contribute to physical symptoms, fatigue, and disease processes, but, because of the cross-sectional nature of most existing human data, these causal directions are not yet firmly established.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Day-to-day dynamics of experience–cortisol associations in a population-based sample of older adults

Adam

Hawkley

Kudielka³

et al. 2006

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

664

635

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In 156 older adults, day-to-day variations in cortisol diurnal rhythms were predicted from both prior-day and same-day experiences, to examine the temporal ordering of experience-cortisol associations in naturalistic environments. Diary reports of daily psychosocial, emotional, and physical states were completed at bedtime on each of three consecutive days. Salivary cortisol levels were measured at wakeup, 30 min after awakening, and at bedtime each day. Multilevel growth curve modeling was used to estimate diurnal cortisol profiles for each person each day. The parameters defining those profiles (wakeup level, diurnal slope, and cortisol awakening response) were predicted simultaneously from day-before and same-day experiences. Prior-day feelings of loneliness, sadness, threat, and lack of control were associated with a higher cortisol awakening response the next day, but morning awakening responses did not predict experiences of these states later the same day. Same-day, but not prior-day, feelings of tension and anger were associated with flatter diurnal cortisol rhythms, primarily because of their association with higher sameday evening cortisol levels. Although wakeup cortisol levels were not predicted by prior-day levels of fatigue and physical symptoms, low wakeup cortisol predicted higher levels of fatigue and physical symptoms later that day. Results are consistent with a dynamic and transactional function of cortisol as both a transducer of psychosocial and emotional experience into physiological activation and an influence on feelings of energy and physical well-being.loneliness ͉ psychological stress A convincing nonhuman animal literature documents the effects of stress exposure on the physiology and neurobiology of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and shows that changes in glucocorticoid levels affect a wide range of related physiological processes and health outcomes (1-3). As a result, considerable attention is being given to the possibility that emotional and physical health disorders in humans may emerge because of extreme or chronic stress exposure and frequent or prolonged HPA axis activation (4, 5).Practical and ethical limitations, however, do not allow human researchers to conduct research with the same degree of causal rigor as in the animal literature; it is obviously not feasible to experimentally impose extreme or chronic stress. Consequently, most research on the associations between stress, HPA axis activity, and physical and emotional well-being in humans has relied on correlational data. Much of this research is also cross-sectional, showing point-in-time rather than longitudinal associations (5, 6).Understanding the role of the HPA axis in human disease processes will ultimately require the longitudinal examination of changes in stress exposure, HPA axis functioning, and disease over the course of months and years. In the present study, however, we show that even examining the day-to-day dynamics of experiencecortisol associations can reveal important information abou...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Day-to-day dynamics of experience–cortisol associations in a population-based sample of older adults

Adam

Hawkley

Kudielka³

et al. 2006

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

664

635

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“…This schedule provided a circadian cortisol profile for each participant. This is an important component since circadian cortisol rhythms are affected in high stress and in clinical populations (Backhaus, Junghanns, & Hohagen, 2004;MacHale et al, 1998;Monteleone & Maj, 2009;Pruessner et al, 1997;Pruessner, Hellhammer, & Kirschbaum, 1999). The completed samples were preserved in a freezer until the next appointment.…”

Section: Assessment Of Biological Markersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural Brain Differences in Breast Cancer Patients Compared to Matched Controls Prior to Chemotherapy

Scherling

Collins²,

MacKenzie³

et al. 2012

IJB

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Understanding the relationship between chemotherapy and cognitive impairment requires information on pre-treatment variability between cancer patients and well-matched controls. The purpose of this study was to investigate neuroanatomical differences between breast cancer (BC) patients and controls, prior to chemotherapy,controllingfor possible confounding variables. Twenty-three female early-stage BC patients underwent MRI scanning after surgery but before chemotherapy and were sex-, age-and education-matched to non-cancer controls. Whole brain and region of interest (ROI) group comparisons of grey (GM) and white matter (WM) were performed using voxel-based morphometry.Significant ROI structural differences between BC patients and controls were found depending on the type of analysis used and the covariates entered. This is one of the first imaging studies to focus on pre-chemotherapy neuroanatomical differences between BC patients and well-matched controls, considering demographic, psychological and biological factors in the analyses. Results highlight the importance of better understanding the whole patient prior to chemotherapy, stressing the importance of rigorous methodological procedures. Keywords:Cognitive impairment, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Voxel-based morphometry (VBM), Pre-treatment effects, Chemotherapy, Surgery, Neuropsychology, Anatomy IntroductionRecent medical advances have greatly improved the odds of achieving long term survival in cancer patients. This has led to increased attention for improving post-treatment quality of life. One factor of particular interest is related to patient self-reports of cognitive impairments following chemotherapy treatment, most often revealed in breast cancer (BC) populations. Patients have coined terms like "chemo fog" and "chemo brain" to refer to these changes that can manifest both during and after treatment. The incidence of chemotherapy-related impairments is www.ccsenet.org/ijb International Journal of Biology Vol. 4, No. 2; April 2012 ISSN 1916-9671 E-ISSN 1916 4 highly variable with a range of 17-75% reported across neuropsychological studies (Correa & Ahles, 1997). Despite this variability, these assessments, along with both structural and functional neuroimaging investigations, support the existence of the self-reported deficits (Abraham et al., 2008; Ahles et al., 2002; Ahles, Tope, Furstenberg, Hann, & Mills, 1996; Bender et al., 2006; Berglund, Bolund, Fornander, Rutqvist, & Sjoden,1991; Brezden, Phillips, Bunston, & Tannock, 2000; Brown et al., 1998;Castellon et al., 2004; Deprezet al., 2003; de Ruiter et al., 2010; Ferguson, McDonald, Saykin, & Ahles, 2007; Gottschalk, Holcombe, Jackson, & Bechtel, 2003; Hurria et al., 2006; Inagaki et al., 2007; Jenkins et al., 2006; Kesler et al., 2009;Kreukels et al., 2005;Kreukels et al., 2006; Kreukels et al., 2008;Mar Fan et al., 2005;McDonald, Conroy, Ahles, West, & Saykin, 2010;Saykin et al., 2006;Saykin, Ahles, & Schoenfeld, 2003; Schagen et al., 1999;Scherwath et al., 2006; Serva...

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“…Few studies have attempted to measure the diurnal or circadian rhythm of cortisol in CFS. MacHale et al [22] demonstrated a significantly lower diurnal change of serum cortisol in CFS based on evening and morning sampling over two consecutive days. Additionally, there was a significant positive relationship between the degree of diurnal variation in cortisol and measures of functional capacity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Diurnal excretion of urinary cortisol, cortisone, and cortisol metabolites in chronic fatigue syndrome

Jerjes

Peters

Taylor

et al. 2006

Journal of Psychosomatic Research

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Diurnal Variation of Adrenocortical Activity in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Cited by 67 publications

References 18 publications

Day-to-day dynamics of experience–cortisol associations in a population-based sample of older adults

Day-to-day dynamics of experience–cortisol associations in a population-based sample of older adults

Structural Brain Differences in Breast Cancer Patients Compared to Matched Controls Prior to Chemotherapy

Diurnal excretion of urinary cortisol, cortisone, and cortisol metabolites in chronic fatigue syndrome

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