Stanford University, United States.
Stanford University, United States.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2020 May;115:104651. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104651. Epub 2020 Mar 12.
Atypical regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a putative mechanism underlying the association between exposure to early life stress (ELS) and the subsequent development of mental and physical health difficulties. Recent research indicates that puberty is a period of HPA-axis plasticity during which the effects of exposure to ELS on cortisol regulation may change. In particular, increases in the sex hormones that drive pubertal maturation, including dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and testosterone, may be implicated in pubertal recalibration of cortisol regulation. In the current study, we examined the associations among levels of objectively-rated threat-related ELS and salivary waking cortisol, DHEA, and testosterone in a sample of 178 adolescents (55 % female) who were in early puberty at baseline (Tanner stages 1-3; mean Tanner stage[SD] = 1.93[0.64]; mean age[SD] = 11.42[1.04]) and were followed up approximately two years later (mean Tanner stage[SD] = 3.46[0.86]; mean age[SD] = 13.38[1.06]). Using multi-level modeling, we disaggregated the effects of between-individual levels and within-individual increases in pubertal stage and sex hormones on change in cortisol. Controlling for between-individual differences in average pubertal stage, the association between levels of cortisol and DHEA was more strongly positive among adolescents who evidenced greater within-individual increases in pubertal stage across time. Both higher average levels and greater within-individual increases in DHEA and testosterone were associated with increases in cortisol across time, indicating positive coupling of developmental changes in these hormones; however, coupling was attenuated in adolescents who were exposed to more severe threat-related ELS prior to puberty. These findings advance our understanding of the development of the HPA-axis and its association with childhood environmental risk during puberty.
下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴的非典型调节是暴露于早期生活应激（ELS）与随后心理健康和身体健康困难发展之间关联的潜在机制。最近的研究表明，青春期是 HPA 轴可塑性的一个时期，在此期间，ELS 对皮质醇调节的影响可能会发生变化。特别是，推动青春期成熟的性激素（包括脱氢表雄酮（DHEA）和睾酮）的增加可能与皮质醇调节的青春期重新校准有关。在当前的研究中，我们在一个 178 名青少年样本中研究了客观评定的与威胁相关的 ELS 水平与唾液清醒皮质醇、DHEA 和睾酮之间的关联，这些青少年在基线时处于青春期早期（Tanner 阶段 1-3；平均 Tanner 阶段[标准差] = 1.93[0.64]；平均年龄[标准差] = 11.42[1.04]），大约两年后进行了随访（平均 Tanner 阶段[标准差] = 3.46[0.86]；平均年龄[标准差] = 13.38[1.06]）。使用多层次建模，我们分解了个体间水平和个体内青春期阶段和性激素增加对皮质醇变化的影响。在控制个体间平均青春期阶段差异的情况下，在随时间推移个体内青春期阶段增加更多的青少年中，皮质醇和 DHEA 之间的关联更为正相关。DHEA 和睾酮的平均水平较高和个体内增加更多与随时间推移皮质醇增加有关，这表明这些激素的发育变化呈正耦合；然而，在青春期前经历过更严重与威胁相关的 ELS 的青少年中，耦合减弱。这些发现提高了我们对青春期 HPA 轴发育及其与儿童期环境风险关联的理解。
