Virginia Institute for Psychiatric & Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA.
Virginia Institute for Psychiatric & Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2021 May;127:105195. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105195. Epub 2021 Mar 8.
Individuals vary in their response to psychological and physiological stressors, and this reactivity can be captured using measures of cortisol. Previous research suggests cortisol reactivity is under some degree of genetic control; however, the measures used have varied widely. This study (N = 524) examined potential differences in heritability across varying cortisol metrics of stress reactivity following the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and whether these measures are genetically or environmentally interrelated. Participants included twins aged 15-20 years (56% female). Cortisol reactivity to the TSST was assessed via serial salivary cortisol samples collected pre- and post-TSST. Modest to moderate heritability estimates (12% [95CI: 1-36%] - 45% [95CI: 16-69%]) were observed across measures purported to capture stress reactivity (peak, area under the curve [AUC], baseline-to-peak change). Findings also demonstrate both shared and unique genetic and environmental influences between baseline cortisol and cortisol reactivity. Minimal to no additional genetic innovations above and beyond the contributions of peak cortisol were found for other measures of cortisol reactivity such as AUC. This study is one of the largest twin-based samples to examine the heritability of cortisol reactivity, and results suggest that simpler measures of cortisol reactivity demonstrate higher heritability compared to more complex measurements.
个体对心理和生理应激源的反应存在差异，这种反应性可以通过皮质醇测量来捕捉。先前的研究表明，皮质醇反应性在一定程度上受到遗传控制；然而，使用的测量方法差异很大。本研究（N=524）考察了在经历特里尔社会应激测试（TSST）后，不同皮质醇应激反应测量指标的遗传力是否存在差异，以及这些测量指标在遗传或环境上是否存在相互关联。参与者包括年龄在 15-20 岁的双胞胎（56%为女性）。通过在 TSST 前后采集的唾液皮质醇样本，评估皮质醇对 TSST 的反应性。观察到不同的皮质醇反应性测量指标（峰值、曲线下面积[AUC]、基线到峰值变化）的遗传力估计值在中等至较大范围内（12%[95%置信区间：1-36%]-45%[95%置信区间：16-69%]）。研究结果还表明，基线皮质醇和皮质醇反应性之间存在共享和独特的遗传和环境影响。与峰值皮质醇相比，AUC 等其他皮质醇反应性测量指标的遗传创新很少或没有。本研究是最大的双胞胎样本之一，旨在检验皮质醇反应性的遗传性，结果表明，与更复杂的测量相比，皮质醇反应性的简单测量具有更高的遗传性。
