title: Global stress response during a social stress test: impact of alexithymia and its subfactors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulties in identifying, describing and communicating one's own emotions. Recent studies have associated specific effects of this trait and its subfactors with hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis markers during stress. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between alexithymia and its subfactors with HPA and sympatho-adrenal medullar (SAM) activity. Stress was induced experimentally using a public-speaking paradigm. Salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase (AA), chromogranin A (CgA) and heart rate (HR) were collected during the defined periods of baseline, stress, and recovery in 19 males and 24 female healthy university students.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects reacted to the stressor with a significant cortisol and SAM response. Subjects scoring high on alexithymia reacted significantly more intensely than low scorers in basal anticipatory as well as peak cortisol and area under the curve. Regression analyses revealed that the increased HPA activity was related to only one alexithymia subfactor, the difficulty in differentiating feelings and distinguishing them from bodily sensations and emotion arousal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alexithymia and its subfactors were specifically related to cortisol responses. This research should be replicated with more subjects and should take into account more parameters reflecting sympathetic and/or parasympathetic activation, as well as HPA axis. Factors such as coping strategies and the perception of the situation as a challenge have also to be explored.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory CIAMS, EA4532, UFR STAPS, University Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Jiewen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.affiliation: Laboratory CIAMS, EA4532, UFR STAPS, University Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Le Scanff
authors.affiliation: Laboratory CIAMS, EA4532, UFR STAPS, University Paris-Sud, University Orléans, 45067 Orléans, France.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Larue
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Sport and Physical Activity, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, University of Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ferreira
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: José
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of LIMSI-CNRS, University Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: LIMSI-CNRS, UPR 3251, University Paris-Sud, University Paris Sorbonne, 91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Devillers
authors.affiliation: Laboratory CIAMS, EA4532, UFR STAPS, University Paris-Sud, University Orléans, 45067 Orléans, France. Electronic address: edith.filaire@univ-orleans.fr.
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Filaire
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D053379:Chromogranin A / Q000032:analysis; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D055291:Salivary alpha-Amylases / Q000032:analysis; D013060:Speech; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D053379:Chromogranin A; D055291:Salivary alpha-Amylases; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Alexithymia; Alpha-amylase; Chromogranin A; Cortisol; Heart rate; Psychosocial stress; Saliva