Department of Psychology, Uskudar University, Istanbul, Turkey; Research Department of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry and Psychiatric Preventive Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
Research Department of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry and Psychiatric Preventive Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, LWL University Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany; Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education / Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Psychiatry Res. 2018 Dec;270:1047-1052. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.05.011. Epub 2018 May 7.
Previous studies reported attenuated cortisol reactivity as one explanation for poor social functioning in schizophrenia. Recent research has demonstrated that both glucocorticoid and oxytocin systems are central to stress regulation. Here, we studied the associations between basal oxytocin, stress-induced cortisol levels, and social functioning and social support in schizophrenia. A mock job interview was used as an ecologically-valid social stressor in 32 schizophrenia patients. Blood samples were taken before and after stress induction to assess basal oxytocin and cortisol levels. In addition social functioning and social support scales were collected. Patients were divided into cortisol responders and non-responders according to percentage change following stress induction. Our findings revealed a possible subgroup of patients who did not exhibit attenuated cortisol responses. Importantly, cortisol responders had generally better social functioning, but perceived social support was not different between groups. There was also no evidence of a relationship between cortisol and oxytocin. This study highlights the heterogeneity of cortisol responses to stress in a schizophrenia population, and the importance of the relationship between social functioning and cortisol reactivity. These findings could be relevant when considering therapeutic interventions that manipulate endocrinology in order to improve real-world functioning.
先前的研究报告指出，皮质醇反应减弱是精神分裂症患者社交功能不良的一个解释。最近的研究表明，糖皮质激素和催产素系统是应激调节的核心。在这里，我们研究了精神分裂症患者基础催产素、应激诱导的皮质醇水平与社交功能和社会支持之间的关系。模拟工作面试被用作一种生态有效的社交应激源，对 32 名精神分裂症患者进行了测试。在应激诱导前后采集血样，以评估基础催产素和皮质醇水平。此外，还收集了社交功能和社会支持量表。根据应激诱导后的百分比变化，患者被分为皮质醇反应者和非反应者。我们的研究结果显示，可能存在一组患者皮质醇反应没有减弱。重要的是，皮质醇反应者的社交功能通常更好，但两组之间的社会支持没有差异。皮质醇和催产素之间也没有关系的证据。这项研究强调了精神分裂症患者对压力的皮质醇反应的异质性，以及社交功能和皮质醇反应之间关系的重要性。当考虑操纵内分泌学以改善现实生活功能的治疗干预措施时，这些发现可能具有相关性。
