title: The CIRCORT database: Reference ranges and seasonal changes in diurnal salivary cortisol derived from a meta-dataset comprised of 15 field studies.
abstract: Diurnal salivary cortisol profiles are valuable indicators of adrenocortical functioning in epidemiological research and clinical practice. However, normative reference values derived from a large number of participants and across a wide age range are still missing. To fill this gap, data were compiled from 15 independently conducted field studies with a total of 104,623 salivary cortisol samples obtained from 18,698 unselected individuals (mean age: 48.3 years, age range: 0.5-98.5 years, 39% females). Besides providing a descriptive analysis of the complete dataset, we also performed mixed-effects growth curve modeling of diurnal salivary cortisol (i.e., 1-16h after awakening). Cortisol decreased significantly across the day and was influenced by both, age and sex. Intriguingly, we also found a pronounced impact of sampling season with elevated diurnal cortisol in spring and decreased levels in autumn. However, the majority of variance was accounted for by between-participant and between-study variance components. Based on these analyses, reference ranges (LC/MS-MS calibrated) for cortisol concentrations in saliva were derived for different times across the day, with more specific reference ranges generated for males and females in different age categories. This integrative summary provides important reference values on salivary cortisol to aid basic scientists and clinicians in interpreting deviations from the normal diurnal cycle.
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Psychology, Biopsychology and Psychological Methods, Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 19, D-01069 Dresden, Germany. Electronic address: robert.miller@tu-dresden.de.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Psychology, Biopsychology and Psychological Methods, Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 19, D-01069 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stalder
authors.affiliation: Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Ludolf-Krehl-Str. 7-11, D-68167 Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jarczok
authors.affiliation: College of Heath and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park PA 16802, USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: MRC Health eResearch Centre, The Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ellena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Badrick
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Meike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bartels
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dorret I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Boomsma
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, 1202W. Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53706-1969, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Coe
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Gravendijkwal 230, 3015 CE, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marieke C J
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, 51 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Bonny
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Donzella
authors.affiliation: Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Ludolf-Krehl-Str. 7-11, D-68167 Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, 51 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Megan R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Gunnar
authors.affiliation: ISER, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, Essex CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Meena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kumari
authors.affiliation: Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, J5, D-68159 Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lederbogen
authors.affiliation: Population, Policy and Practice, UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Power
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, 1202W. Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53706-1969, USA.
authors.forename: Carol D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Ryff
authors.affiliation: Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-6096, USA.
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Gravendijkwal 230, 3015 CE, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, Gravendijkwal 230, 3015 CE, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tiemeier
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155S. Race Street, Denver, CO 802058, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Watamura
authors.affiliation: Institute of General Psychology, Biopsychology and Psychological Methods, Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 19, D-01069 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kirschbaum
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D066264:Datasets as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D012621:Seasons; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Circadian rhythm; Cortisol; Lifespan; Reference value; Saliva