Reeves Jonathan W, Fisher Aaron J, Newman Michelle G, Granger Douglas A
Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA.
Psychophysiology. 2016 Jun;53(6):951-7. doi: 10.1111/psyp.12634. Epub 2016 Mar 2.
Physiologic investigations of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have skewed toward assessment of the autonomic nervous system, largely neglecting hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis variables. Although these systems coordinate-suggesting a degree of symmetry-to promote adaptive functioning, most studies opt to monitor either one system or the other. Using a ratio of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) over salivary cortisol, the present study examined symmetry between the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and HPA axis in individuals with GAD (n = 71) and healthy controls (n = 37). Compared to healthy controls, individuals with GAD exhibited greater baseline ratios of sAA/cortisol and smaller ratios of sAA/cortisol following a mental arithmetic challenge. We propose that the present study provides evidence for SNS-HPA asymmetry in GAD. Further, these results suggest that increased SNS suppression in GAD may be partially mediated by cortisol activity.
广泛性焦虑障碍（GAD）的生理学研究主要偏向于自主神经系统的评估，很大程度上忽略了下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴变量。尽管这些系统相互协调——显示出一定程度的对称性——以促进适应性功能，但大多数研究选择监测其中一个系统或另一个系统。本研究使用唾液α-淀粉酶（sAA）与唾液皮质醇的比值，检验了GAD患者（n = 71）和健康对照者（n = 37）交感神经系统（SNS）与HPA轴之间的对称性。与健康对照者相比，GAD患者在基线时sAA/皮质醇比值更高，而在进行心算挑战后sAA/皮质醇比值更小。我们认为，本研究为GAD中SNS-HPA不对称性提供了证据。此外，这些结果表明，GAD中SNS抑制增强可能部分由皮质醇活性介导。
