Heritability of cortisol levels: review and simultaneous analysis of twin studies

Bartels, Meike; Berg, Martin van den; Sluyter, Frans; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Geus, Eco J. C. de

doi:10.1016/s0306-4530(02)00003-3

Cited by 239 publications

(158 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Similarly to others studies, cortisol samples collected in the morning tended to have moderate heritability (Bartels et al, 2003b). Our own estimate of heritability at awakening (28%) is indeed comparable to findings noted elsewhere [39% (Wüst, 2000) and 33% (Kupper et al, 2005)], although a higher estimate has been reported in a laboratory setting in adults [56% (Franz et al, 2010) Far fewer studies have specifically examined the genetic and environmental etiology of the CAR, from which more inconsistent findings have emerged.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

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: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

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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“…Two studies report that risk-taking behavior varies over the menstrual cycle; women are more risk averse during the ovulatory phase-that is, when the estrogen level is high (9, 10). Because hormone levels in general are under strong genetic influences (11,12), these relationships between hormone levels and behavior suggest one possible channel for the intergenerational transmission of behavior.Because men and women have sharply different levels of sex hormones, it is natural to think that hormones are implied in the differences between male and female behavior. Experimental evidence shows that, on average, women tend to be more risk averse, less competitive, and more prosocial than men (13).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A randomized trial of the effect of estrogen and testosterone on economic behavior

Zethraeus

Kocoska-Maras²,

Ellingsen³

et al. 2009

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

179

145

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Existing correlative evidence suggests that sex hormones may affect economic behavior such as risk taking and reciprocal fairness. To test this hypothesis we conducted a double-blind randomized study. Two-hundred healthy postmenopausal women aged 50 -65 years were randomly allocated to 4 weeks of treatment with estrogen, testosterone, or placebo. At the end of the treatment period, the subjects participated in a series of economic experiments that measure altruism, reciprocal fairness, trust, trustworthiness, and risk attitudes. There was no significant effect of estrogen or testosterone on any of the studied behaviors.sex hormones ͉ trust game ͉ ultimatum game ͉ risk aversion H umans display sizeable individual variation in economic behaviors. Heterogeneity is large both in the domain of personal decision making and in the domain of social interaction. Some individuals willingly take risks that others pay to avoid (1), and in situations where some individuals are altruistic and trusting, others are selfish and distrustful (2).Relatively little is known about the sources of such preference heterogeneity, but two recent findings suggest that biological factors are important. First, comparisons of the behavior of identical and fraternal twins indicate that genetics explains a sizeable part of the variation in preferences across a wide range of economic domains (3-5). Second, a controlled increase in the level of the mammalian hormone oxytocin causes more trusting behavior (6).Several studies also report that behavior is correlated with the level of sex hormones. Burnham (7) finds that subjects with a higher testosterone level are more likely to reject unfair offers in the ultimatum game, and Apicella et al. (8) find a correlation between testosterone levels and financial risk-taking behavior. Two studies report that risk-taking behavior varies over the menstrual cycle; women are more risk averse during the ovulatory phase-that is, when the estrogen level is high (9, 10). Because hormone levels in general are under strong genetic influences (11,12), these relationships between hormone levels and behavior suggest one possible channel for the intergenerational transmission of behavior.Because men and women have sharply different levels of sex hormones, it is natural to think that hormones are implied in the differences between male and female behavior. Experimental evidence shows that, on average, women tend to be more risk averse, less competitive, and more prosocial than men (13). Hormones affect the brain by binding to specific receptors, and previous work suggests that differences in the organization of brain areas in males and females depend on hormones (14-16). Hormones may affect cognition, mood, well-being, sexuality, and social behavior (16)(17)(18)(19).However, the existing evidence on the relationship between sex hormones and economic behavior is merely correlative. It does not admit causal inference. To investigate whether there is a causal link, we conducted a double-blind randomized trial, with subjects...

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“…Large individual differences exist in the diurnal levels of cortisol (Smyth et al, 1997) and a possible source of this variation is genetic makeup. Several twin studies have been conducted to determine the influence of genetic and environmental factors on basal cortisol (for a review see Bartels et al, 2003b). The majority has focused on one basal cortisol sample during the morning hours (07:45-09:00 h, not related to awakening), and only two studies in adults (Linkowski et al, 1993;Wüst et al, 2000a) and one study in children (Bartels et al, 2003a) report on the heritability of basal cortisol collected during an entire day.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Familial influences on basal salivary cortisol in an adult population

Kupper

Geus

Berg

et al. 2005

Psychoneuroendocrinology

130

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Heritability of cortisol levels: review and simultaneous analysis of twin studies

Cited by 239 publications

References 57 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

A randomized trial of the effect of estrogen and testosterone on economic behavior

Familial influences on basal salivary cortisol in an adult population

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