title: Salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol responsiveness following electrical stimulation stress in patients with the generalized type of social anxiety disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Social anxiety disorder is believed to be a stress-induced disease. Although it can be inferred from the symptoms during attacks that there exists some abnormality of autonomic nervous system in any of the stress systems in social anxiety disorder, little evidence has been reported. This study focused on comparing the reactivity of 2 stress systems, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in patients with social anxiety disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  32 patients with the generalized type of social anxiety disorder were compared with 80 age- and gender-matched controls. We collected saliva samples from patients and controls before and after electrical stimulation to measure the concentrations of salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and salivary cortisol. Profile of Mood State (POMS) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scores and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) were also determined following stimulation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SAA in patients displayed a significantly higher level at baseline and a significantly larger response to electrical stimulation as compared to controls, whereas no group differences were seen in any HRV. Neither within-subject nor group differences were seen in salivary cortisol levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that SAD patients displayed enhanced ANS (but not HPA axis) activity vs. healthy controls.
authors: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Oita University Faculty of Medicine, Hasama-Machi, Oita, Japan.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Tamura
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Maruyama
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Ishitobi
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Kawano
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Ando
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Ikeda
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Inoue
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Imanaga
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Okamoto
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Kanehisa
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Ninomiya
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Tanaka
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Tsuru
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Akiyoshi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D000516:alpha-Amylases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000516:alpha-Amylases; D006854:Hydrocortisone