Hormonal responses to physical and cognitive stress in a school setting.
Little is known about the influence of physical and cognitive stress on the concentration of steroid hormones (SHs) in a school setting. Forty high school students from the 9th grade were randomly assigned to two intervention groups: physical and cognitive stress. Saliva collection took place before (pre-test) and after (post-test) 12 min of high intensity exercise in a defined heart rate (HR) interval (70-85% HR (max); n=19) and cognitive testing (Letter Digit Span and d2-test, n=21), respectively. Saliva was analyzed for testosterone (T) and cortisol (C). Results indicated a significant increase of T and C due to a physical but not cognitive stressor. Thus, only the physical stressor was capable of activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis.
Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Institute of Sport Science, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: henning.budde@rz.hu-berlin.de.
Henning
H
Budde
Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Institute of Sport Science, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Sascha
S
Pietrassyk-Kendziorra
Department of Training and Movement Sciences, Institute of Sport Science, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Sebastian
S
Bohm
Jacobs Center on Lifelong Learning and Institutional Development, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany.
Claudia
C
Voelcker-Rehage
D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012574:Schools; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
D013739:Testosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone