Dataset Information

Hair Cortisol in Twins: Heritability and Genetic Overlap with Psychological Variables and Stress-System Genes.

ABSTRACT: Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is a promising measure of long-term hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. Previous research has suggested an association between HCC and psychological variables, and initial studies of inter-individual variance in HCC have implicated genetic factors. However, whether HCC and psychological variables share genetic risk factors remains unclear. The aims of the present twin study were to: (i) assess the heritability of HCC; (ii) estimate the phenotypic and genetic correlation between HPA axis activity and the psychological variables perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and neuroticism; using formal genetic twin models and molecular genetic methods, i.e. polygenic risk scores (PRS). HCC was measured in 671 adolescents and young adults. These included 115 monozygotic and 183 dizygotic twin-pairs. For 432 subjects PRS scores for plasma cortisol, major depression, and neuroticism were calculated using data from large genome wide association studies. The twin model revealed a heritability for HCC of 72%. No significant phenotypic or genetic correlation was found between HCC and the three psychological variables of interest. PRS did not explain variance in HCC. The present data suggest that HCC is highly heritable. However, the data do not support a strong biological link between HCC and any of the investigated psychological variables.

SUBMITTER: Rietschel L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5703444 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Hair Cortisol in Twins: Heritability and Genetic Overlap with Psychological Variables and Stress-System Genes.

Rietschel Liz L Streit Fabian F Zhu Gu G McAloney Kerrie K Frank Josef J Couvy-Duchesne Baptiste B Witt Stephanie H SH Binz Tina M TM McGrath John J Hickie Ian B IB Hansell Narelle K NK Wright Margaret J MJ Gillespie Nathan A NA Forstner Andreas J AJ Schulze Thomas G TG Wüst Stefan S Nöthen Markus M MM Baumgartner Markus R MR Walker Brian R BR Crawford Andrew A AA Colodro-Conde Lucía L Medland Sarah E SE Martin Nicholas G NG Rietschel Marcella M

Scientific reports 20171110 1

Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) is a promising measure of long-term hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. Previous research has suggested an association between HCC and psychological variables, and initial studies of inter-individual variance in HCC have implicated genetic factors. However, whether HCC and psychological variables share genetic risk factors remains unclear. The aims of the present twin study were to: (i) assess the heritability of HCC; (ii) estimate the phenotypic ...[more]

PMID: 29127340

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundPsychological resilience is considered to protect against detrimental effects of perceived stress on cardiovascular and metabolic health, but few studies have tested biological mechanisms underlying these relationships.PurposeThis study examined whether psychological resilience moderated the indirect association of perceived stress with Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) severity via hair cortisol concentration (HCC), a retrospective index of hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis activity.MethodParticipants included 228 adults (73 White, 86 Hispanic, 69 African American; mean age 45.29 years; 68% females). Participants completed questionnaires assessing perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) and resilience (Brief Resilience Scale). The first 3 cm of scalp-near hair were analyzed for cortisol concentration using enzyme-linked immunoassay analysis. Cardiometabolic risk factors including blood glucose, lipids, blood pressure, and waist circumference were assessed, from which a sex- and race/ethnicity-specific continuous MetS severity score was calculated. A moderated mediation model was tested using path analysis.ResultsPsychological resilience moderated the association of perceived stress with HCC (R2 change for interaction = 0.014, p =  0.043), such that the association of perceived stress and HCC decreased as resilience scores increased. Resilience also moderated the indirect association of perceived stress with MetS severity via HCC (b = -0.039, 95% CI [-0.001; -0.100]), such that HCC mediated the association of greater perceived stress with greater MetS severity only for individuals reporting Brief Resilience Scale scores 3 or below (range: 1.17-5.00). Psychological resilience was also associated with lower MetS severity (β = -0.227, p =  0.014) independent of perceived stress and HCC.ConclusionFindings suggest that psychological resilience may serve as both a stress buffer and as a direct determinant of cardiometabolic health. These results extend literature on psychological resilience to measures of retrospective HPA axis function and MetS severity in a diverse sample.

Project description:BackgroundMaternal psychological stress during pregnancy, including stress resulting from disasters and trauma, has been linked to temperamental difficulties in offspring. Although heightened cortisol concentrations are often hypothesized as an underlying mechanism, evidence supporting this mechanism is not consistent, potentially because of methodological issues and low stress in the population.AimTo address these issues, this preregistered study investigated the following associations between: 1) prenatal psychological stress and hair cortisol, as a biomarker for chronic stress, during the COVID-19 outbreak (i.e., as a major worldwide psychological stressor), and 2) maternal hair cortisol during the COVID-19 outbreak and later infant temperamental negative affectivity and orienting/regulation. Additionally, we explored whether associations were different for women with low versus high socioeconomic status (SES; maternal education and annual household income) and at different stages of pregnancy.MethodPregnant women (N = 100) filled out online questionnaires during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Six months later, when most mothers were still pregnant or had just given birth, maternal hair samples were collected during home visits. When infants were six months old, mothers reported on their infant's temperament.ResultsAlthough hierarchical regression analyses revealed no associations between prenatal COVID-19 psychological stress and hair cortisol during the COVID-19 outbreak, SES proved to be a moderator in this association. Only pregnant women with higher levels of SES, not lower levels, showed a positive association between work-related and social support-related COVID-19 worries and hair cortisol. Finally, prenatal hair cortisol was not associated with later infant temperamental negative affectivity and orienting/regulation.ConclusionAlthough the COVID-19 outbreak proved to be a major psychological stressor worldwide, the physiological impact of the crisis might be different for pregnant women with higher SES as compared to lower SES.

Dataset Information

Hair Cortisol in Twins: Heritability and Genetic Overlap with Psychological Variables and Stress-System Genes.

Publications

Hair Cortisol in Twins: Heritability and Genetic Overlap with Psychological Variables and Stress-System Genes.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets