title: Salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol responsiveness following electrical stimulation stress in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients.
abstract: Salivary α-amylase (sAA) serves as a marker of sympathoadrenal medullary system (SAM) activity. Salivary AA has not been extensively studied in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients. In the current study, 45 OCD patients and 75 healthy volunteers were assessed with the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), the Profile of Mood State (POMS), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Measures of heart rate variability (HRV), sAA, and salivary cortisol were also obtained following the application of electrical stimulation stress. The Y-BOCS and POMS Tension-Anxiety, Depression-Dejection, Anger-Hostility, Fatigue, and Confusion scores were significantly increased in patients with OCD compared with healthy controls. In contrast, Vigor scores were significantly decreased in patients with OCD relative to scores in healthy controls. There was no difference in HRV between the patients and the controls. Salivary AA levels in female and male OCD patients were significantly elevated relative to controls both before and after electrical stimulation. In contrast, there were no differences in salivary cortisol levels between OCD patients and controls. The elevated secretion of sAA before and after stimulation may suggest an increased responsiveness to novel and uncontrollable situations in patients with OCD. An increase in sAA might be a characteristic change of OCD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Oita University Faculty of Medicine, Hasama-Machi, Oita 879-5593, Japan.
authors.forename: Aimi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Yoshinobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishitobi
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Shizuko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Imanaga
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanehisa
authors.forename: Haruka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Higuma
authors.forename: Taiga
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ninomiya
authors.forename: Jusen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tsuru
authors.forename: Jotaro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Akiyoshi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000209:etiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D055291:Salivary alpha-Amylases / Q000378:metabolism*; D014953:Wrist / Q000294:innervation
chemical_list: D055291:Salivary alpha-Amylases