title: Salivary cortisol and DHEA reactivity to psychosocial stress in socially anxious males.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to examine Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity in social anxiety. The present study used a standardized psychosocial stress protocol (the Trier Social Stress Test; TSST; [Kirschbaum, C., Pirke, K.M., Hellhammer, D.H., 1993. The 'Trier Social Stress Test'-a tool for investigating psychobiological stress responses in a laboratory setting. Neuropsychobiology 28, 76-81.]) with 11 higher-social-anxiety and 11 lower-social-anxiety male college students. Psychological responses and salivary cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) reactivity and cortisol/DHEA ratio were assessed at seven different times. The results showed that there was a significantly lower cortisol responsiveness in the higher social anxiety group but there was no significant difference of DHEA responsiveness. Further analyses showed lower responses for the cortisol/DHEA ratio in the higher-social-anxiety group to the TSST. These results suggest that there may be reduced HPA axis reactivity to psychosocial stress in socially anxious people.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan. shiroken.cream@akane.waseda.jp
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shirotsuki
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Izawa
authors.forename: Nagisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sugaya
authors.forename: Kosuke Chris
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Namiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ouchi
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagano
authors.forename: Shinobu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nomura
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*; D012919:Social Behavior; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone