An in-laboratory stressor reveals unique genetic variation in child cortisol output

Bibliographic Data

ID9788175
AuthorsLaurel Raffington (0000-0002-0144-5605, The University of Texas at Austin, corresponding author), Margherita Malanchini (0000-0002-7257-6119, The University of Texas at Austin), Andrew D Grotzinger (0000-0001-7852-9244, The University of Texas at Austin), James W Madole (0000-0002-2301-0004, The University of Texas at Austin), Laura E Engelhardt (0000-0001-7254-5702, The University of Texas at Austin), Aditi Sabhlok (0000-0001-6604-1698, The University of Texas at Austin), Cherry Youn (0000-0001-5445-6802, The University of Texas at Austin), Megan W Patterson (0000-0002-8299-2706, The University of Texas at Austin), K Paige Harden (0000-0002-1557-6737, The University of Texas at Austin), Elliot M Tucker-Drob (0000-0001-5599-6237, The University of Texas at Austin)
Year2022
Volume58
Issue10
Pages1832-1848
Publication date2022-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDevelopmental Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0012-1649 • E-ISSN: 1939-0599
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/dev0001393
PMID35771497
OpenAlexW4283747619
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited14

Dysregulation of biological stress response, as measured by cortisol output, has been a primary candidate mechanism for how social experiences become biologically embedded. Cortisol is the primary output of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. Cortisol levels vary systematically across the day and change in response to both sudden, acute stress experiences as well as prolonged exposure to environmental stress. Using data from 8- to 15-year-old twins in the Texas Twin Project, we investigate the extent to which genetic influences are shared across different measures of cortisol output: chronic cortisol accumulations in hair ( n = 1,104), diurnal variation in salivary output ( n = 488), and salivary response to a standardized, acute in-laboratory stressor ( n = 537). Multivariate twin models indicate that genetic factors regulating cortisol response to the in-laboratory stressor are separable from those regulating baseline cortisol levels, naturally occurring diurnal variation in cortisol, and hair cortisol levels. These findings illustrate that novel environments can reveal unique genetic variation, reordering people in terms of their observed phenotype rather than only magnifying or mitigating preexisting differences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Biology · Circadian rhythm · Cortisol awakening response · Developmental psychology · Gene–environment interaction · Genetic variation · Genotype · Heritability · Hormone · Hydrocortisone · Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis · Stressor · Twin study · Variation (astronomy · Adipose Tissue and Metabolism · Clinical Psychology · Endocrinology · Genetics · Hormonal Regulation and Hypertension · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Neuroscience · Psychology · Stress Responses and Cortisol

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