Author ORCID Identifier
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-23-2009
Publication Title
Bipolar Disorders
Volume
12
Issue
1
First Page
77
Last Page
86
Abstract
Objectives: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is compromised in major depression, bipolar disorder (BD), and in the offspring of parents with major depression. Less is known about the offspring of parents with BD (FH+). The present project provides follow-up to a previous study showing that the adolescent (mean age 16.7 years) FH+ offspring had higher salivary cortisol levels than the offspring of parents with no mental disorder (FH−) throughout the day in their natural environment, and that girls had higher cortisol levels than boys (Ellenbogen MA, Hodgins S, Walker C-D, Adam S, Couture S. Daytime cortisol and stress reactivity in the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2006; 31: 1164–1180). The goal of the present study was to determine whether FH+ offspring, approximately two years later, continued to exhibit elevated cortisol levels relative to FH− offspring during two weeks of daily sampling.
Methods: The present study examined salivary cortisol levels in 24 (18.3 ± 2.6 years) FH+ and 22 (18.0 ± 2.3 years) FH− offspring who are part of the same longitudinal cohort as the previous study. Saliva was collected at 1300h and 1500h in the natural environment of the offspring during 14 consecutive days.
Results: Multilevel modelling analyses indicated that FH+ offspring had higher afternoon levels of cortisol in their natural environment than FH− offspring, but group differences in slope and gender differences were not found.
Conclusions: The FH+ offspring exhibited increased daytime secretion of cortisol that, at the level of the group, persisted into late adolescence and young adulthood. Perhaps this change in HPA functioning is associated with an increased vulnerability for the development of an affective disorder.
Recommended Citation
Ellenbogen, M.A., Santo, J.B., Linnen, A.-M., Walker, C.-D. and Hodgins, S. (2010), High cortisol levels in the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder during two weeks of daily sampling. Bipolar Disorders, 12: 77-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-5618.2009.00770.x
Comments
"This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Ellenbogen, M.A., Santo, J.B., Linnen, A.-M., Walker, C.-D. and Hodgins, S. (2010), High cortisol levels in the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder during two weeks of daily sampling. Bipolar Disorders, 12: 77-86. , which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-5618.2009.00770.x . This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited."