BACKGROUND: Animal research shows that early adverse experience results in altered glucocorticoid levels in adulthood, either raised basal levels or accentuated responses to stress. If a similar phenomenon operates in humans, this suggests a biological mechanism whereby early adversity might transmit risk for major depression, glucocorticoid elevations being associated with the development of this disorder. METHODS: We measured salivary cortisol at 8:00 am and 8:00 pm over 10 days in 13-year-old adolescents who had (n = 48) or had not (n = 39) been exposed to postnatal maternal depression. RESULTS: Maternal postnatal depression was associated with higher, more variable morning cortisol in offspring, a pattern previously found to predict major depression. CONCLUSIONS: Early adverse experiences might alter later steroid levels in humans. Because maternal depression confers added risk for depression to children, these alterations might provide a link between early events and later psychopathology.
BACKGROUND: Animal research shows that early adverse experience results in altered glucocorticoid levels in adulthood, either raised basal levels or accentuated responses to stress. If a similar phenomenon operates in humans, this suggests a biological mechanism whereby early adversity might transmit risk for major depression, glucocorticoid elevations being associated with the development of this disorder. METHODS: We measured salivary cortisol at 8:00 am and 8:00 pm over 10 days in 13-year-old adolescents who had (n = 48) or had not (n = 39) been exposed to postnatal maternal depression. RESULTS:Maternal postnatal depression was associated with higher, more variable morning cortisol in offspring, a pattern previously found to predict major depression. CONCLUSIONS: Early adverse experiences might alter later steroid levels in humans. Because maternal depression confers added risk for depression to children, these alterations might provide a link between early events and later psychopathology.
Authors: Maria L Boccia; Maria Razzoli; Sivaram Prasad Vadlamudi; Whit Trumbull; Christopher Caleffie; Cort A Pedersen Journal: Psychoneuroendocrinology Date: 2006-11-22 Impact factor: 4.905
Authors: Thomas G O'Connor; Michael T Willoughby; Jan A Moynihan; Susan Messing; Ana Vallejo Sefair; Jennifer Carnahan; Xiajuan Yin; Mary T Caserta Journal: Brain Behav Immun Date: 2019-05-03 Impact factor: 7.217
Authors: Brandon L Goldstein; Greg Perlman; Roman Kotov; Joan E Broderick; Keke Liu; Camilo Ruggero; Daniel N Klein Journal: J Affect Disord Date: 2016-10-11 Impact factor: 4.839