Autonomic and Adrenocortical Reactivity and Buccal Cell Telomere Length in Kindergarten Children

Bibliographic Data

ID19303661
AuthorsCandyce H Kroenke (0000-0002-6128-3118, Stanford Medicine, corresponding author), Elissa S Epel (0000-0002-9334-4720, Stanford Medicine), Elissa Epel (0000-0002-8004-2571), Nancy Adler, Nancy E Adler (0000-0001-6962-0724, Stanford Medicine), Newell Richard Bush (0000-0003-0217-9975, Stanford Medicine), Nicole R Bush, Jelena Obradović (0000-0001-7405-4608, Stanford Medicine), Jue Lin (0000-0001-7216-1610, Oakland University), Elizabeth H Blackburn (0000-0002-4885-0544, Stanford Medicine), Elizabeth Blackburn, Juliet Stamperdahl (Oakland University), Juliet Lise Stamperdahl, W Thomas Boyce (Stanford Medicine)
Year2011
Volume73
Issue7
Pages533-540
Publication date2011-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychosomatic Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-3174 • E-ISSN: 1534-7796
PublisherOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/psy.0b013e318229acfc
PMID21873585
PMCIDPMC3212037
OpenAlexW2002796604
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited64

Objective: To examine associations between autonomic nervous system and adrenocortical reactivity to laboratory stressors and buccal cell telomere length (BTL) in children. Methods: The study sample comprised 78 children, aged 5 to 6 years, from a longitudinal cohort study of kindergarten social hierarchies, biologic responses to adversity, and child health. Buccal cell samples and reactivity measures were collected in the spring of the kindergarten year. BTL was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction, as the telomere-to-single-copy gene ratio. Parents provided demographic information; parents and teachers reported children's internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Components of children's autonomic (heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA], and preejection period [PEP]) and adrenocortical (salivary cortisol) responses were monitored during standardized laboratory challenges. We examined relationships between reactivity, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and BTL, adjusted for age, race, and sex. Results: Heart rate and cortisol reactivity were inversely related to BTL, PEP was positively related to BTL, and RSA was unrelated to BTL. Internalizing behaviors were also inversely related to BTL (standardized β = −0.33, p =.004). Split at the median of reactivity parameters, children with high sympathetic activation (decreasing PEP), and parasympathetic withdrawal (decreasing RSA) did not differ with regard to BTL. However, children with both this profile and high cortisol reactivity (n = 12) had significantly shorter BTL (0.80 versus 1.00; χ2 = 7.6, p =.006), compared with other children. Conclusions: The combination of autonomic and adrenocortical reactivity was associated with shorter BTL in children. These data suggest that psychophysiological processes may influence, and that BTL may be a useful marker of, early biologic aging. DNA = deoxyribonucleic acid; BTL = buccal cell telomere length; ANS = autonomic nervous system; HPA = hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal; HR = heart rate; SNS = sympathetic nervous system; PNS = parasympathetic nervous system; PEP = preejection period; RSA = respiratory sinus arrhythmia; PAWS = Peers and Wellness Study; BMI = body mass index; T/S = telomere repeat copy number to single-copy gene copy number; ECG = electrocardiograph; SES = socioeconomic status

Autonomic nervous system · Biology · Blood pressure · Buccal swab · Developmental psychology · Heart rate · Longitudinal study · Pathology · Reactivity (psychology) · Stressor · Vagal tone · Clinical Psychology · Endocrinology · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Neuroscience of respiration and sleep · Physiology · Psychology · Stress Responses and Cortisol · Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence

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