Jacobson S W, Bihun J T, Chiodo L M
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
Dev Psychopathol. 1999 Spring;11(2):195-208. doi: 10.1017/s0954579499002011.
Elevated corticosterone levels to stress have been found in adult rats exposed prenatally to alcohol, but little is known about the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the cortisol response in humans. To date, one study has found that crack/cocaine was related to depressed newborn cortisol levels following a heel prick. In the present study saliva samples were obtained before and after a blood draw from 83 inner-city African American 13-month-old infants exposed prenatally to alcohol, cocaine, and other illicit drugs. Post-blood draw cortisol levels did not differ from basal levels in many of the infants, confirming recent studies indicating adaptation of the adrenocortical response to this type of stress at this age. Maternal depression and emergence of teeth were positively related to cortisol levels. Alcohol exposure was related to elevated basal levels, cocaine to lower basal levels. As predicted from animal findings, heavy alcohol exposure was related to elevated poststress cortisol levels.
研究发现，产前暴露于酒精环境中的成年大鼠在面对压力时皮质酮水平会升高，但关于产前酒精暴露对人类皮质醇反应的影响却知之甚少。迄今为止，一项研究发现，吸食强效纯可卡因后，新生儿足跟采血后的皮质醇水平会降低。在本研究中，采集了83名来自市中心的非裔美国13个月大婴儿的唾液样本，这些婴儿在产前暴露于酒精、可卡因及其他非法药物环境中。采血后，许多婴儿的皮质醇水平与基础水平并无差异，这证实了近期的研究结果，即该年龄段的肾上腺皮质反应会适应此类压力。母亲抑郁和出牙与皮质醇水平呈正相关。酒精暴露与基础水平升高有关，可卡因与基础水平降低有关。正如从动物研究结果中所预测的那样，大量酒精暴露与应激后皮质醇水平升高有关。
