Association of HPA axis hormones with copeptin after psychological stress differs by sex.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Copeptin levels are elevated in severe medical conditions, an effect that is attributed to elevated arginine vasopressin (AVP) levels in response to physiological stress, resulting in activation of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In the current study, we wanted to determine if copeptin is responsive to psychological stress, correlates with cortisol and adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), and if associations differed by sex.

Materials and methods

In a cross-sectional study that included 100 healthy men (41%) and women (59%) (aged 18-30 years; mean 24.6 ± 3 years), who underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), we examined the association between percent change (peak-baseline/baseline) in copeptin levels and percent change in log ACTH and cortisol.

SUBMITTER: Spanakis EK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4695232 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature