Psychoneuroendocrinology最新文献

{"title":"Adverse childhood experiences patterns and biological aging in a representative sample of older Americans","authors":"Xiaoyan Zhang ,&nbsp;Natalie Slopen ,&nbsp;Ariel A. Binns ,&nbsp;Adolfo G. Cuevas","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are common, co-occurring risk factors for poor long-term health. Emerging research links ACEs to accelerated biological aging, yet most studies rely on singular or cumulative indicators and often overlook differences by race, sex, and adversity type, potentially yielding imprecise estimates.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To identify latent ACEs classes by race and sex using latent class analysis (LCA) and examine their associations with biological aging measured by DNA methylation-based epigenetic clocks.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analyzed 3586 participants from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative cohort of U.S. older adults. LCA identified ACEs classes based on nine indicators, including physical abuse, household substance use, and socioeconomic adversity. Biological aging was measured using GrimAge, PhenoAge, and DunedinPoAm clocks. Epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) was calculated as residuals of GrimAge/PhenoAge regressed on chronological age.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Latent Low Adversity and Financial Adversity classes were identified among Black and White participants, and among Hispanic participants we identified Parental Low Education and Socioeconomic Adversity classes. Men exhibited higher GrimAge EAA than women across all groups. Among Black and White women, Financial Adversity was associated with elevated GrimAge EAA and a faster DunedinPoAm pace compared to the Low Adversity group. Among Hispanic women, Socioeconomic Adversity was linked to higher PhenoAge EAA and faster DunedinPoAm pace relative to those in the Parental Low Education group.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Women in the adversity classes demonstrated more accelerated biological aging than those in low adversity classes. Findings underscore the value of intersectional, person-centered approaches to understanding adversity’s role in biological aging and the need for targeted health interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107682"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145549945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Protective effects of liver-derived apolipoprotein A1 against heat stress-induced hypothalamic lipid metabolism and blood-brain barrier integrity","authors":"Bin Li ,&nbsp;Ruixi Ming ,&nbsp;Hongzhou Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107691","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107691","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heat stress (HS), a prevalent occupational and environmental hazard, has increasingly been recognized as a major contributor to multiple physiological disorders. The hypothalamus, a key regulator of thermoregulation and endocrine signaling, is especially susceptible to metabolic and inflammatory disturbances induced by HS. This study investigates the interplay among lipid metabolism, blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity, and neuroinflammation in the hypothalamus under HS conditions, with a specific focus on apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1) as a potential protective factor. To achieve this, we integrated proteomic and lipidomic analyses with experimental validation in porcine and murine models. Proteomic analysis identified 266 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the hypothalamus following HS, with significant enrichment in lipid metabolism pathways—especially glycerophospholipid (GP) metabolism—in which APOA1 displayed a marked increase. Lipidomic profiling further revealed HS-induced disruptions in phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and cardiolipin (CL) metabolism. Additionally, blood–brain barrier integrity was compromised, as evidenced by increased perivascular IgG extravasation, reduced pericyte coverage, and decreased expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and Occludin. HS also triggered pronounced neuroinflammation, characterized by elevated levels of iNOS, GFAP, and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6). Notably, administration of D-4F, an APOA1 mimetic peptide, alleviated blood–brain barrier damage, reduced neuroinflammation, and preserved synaptic integrity, thereby suggesting a neuroprotective role for APOA1 in HS-induced hypothalamic dysfunction. These findings underscore the critical role of lipid metabolism in maintaining hypothalamic homeostasis under HS conditions and position APOA1 as a key regulator with potential therapeutic implications for mitigating HS-related neuroinflammatory and metabolic disturbances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107691"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145557419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Parent-child salivary cortisol synchrony in early childhood: A systematic review","authors":"Maitri Jain ,&nbsp;Emily Sokol ,&nbsp;Elizabeth Freehling ,&nbsp;Sneha Kamath ,&nbsp;Renée Lajiness-O'Neill ,&nbsp;Angela D. Staples ,&nbsp;Jamie M. Lawler","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107693","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107693","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Importance</h3><div>Although parent-child cortisol synchrony is essential for the development of children’s socio-emotional development, the research findings on what affects this synchrony are unclear. This lack of clarity makes it difficult to pinpoint the best areas to target when creating interventions to help improve synchrony between parents and their children.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>We aimed to characterize the literature on parent-child cortisol synchrony and how various family-related risks and protective factors were associated with parent-child cortisol synchrony.</div></div><div><h3>Evidence review</h3><div>We searched 4 databases (CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science) on August 25th, 2025. Backward and forward citation searching was also conducted. Eligible articles a) were peer-reviewed articles/theses/dissertations published in the English language, b) assessed children between 6 months and 8 years for diurnal cortisol, and between 0 months and 8 years for cortisol reactivity, c) included majority of children free of neurological, genetic, or major psychiatric disorders and born full-term, d) included parents with a mean age above 18 years, where the majority were free of neurological or genetic disorders, e) collected at least 2 salivary cortisol samples from both parent and child, in either home or lab, f) for cortisol reactivity, collected at least one saliva sample each before and after a challenging task, g) collected 2 saliva samples on the same day for diurnal cortisol, and h) reported any statistical association between parent and child cortisol. We used the Quality Assessment with Diverse Studies Tool for quality analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>We identified 33 unique studies, including a total of 5206 participants. All studies were observational, with 7 longitudinal studies. The scarce literature suggested positive child-to-parent synchrony in families without risk factors, but synchrony was absent or reduced in families with risk factors. Protective factors (e.g., parental sensitivity) led to more adaptive synchrony in parent-child dyads.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions and relevance</h3><div>While the existing research suggested that parent-child cortisol synchrony is affected by both family risk and protective factors, too few studies existed to draw strong conclusions. More research is essential to develop better interventions for improving parent-child synchrony.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107693"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145605522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “U.S. men’s testosterone (T), partnering, and residence with children: Evidence from a nationally-representative cohort (NHANES) and relevance to clinically low T” [Psychoneuroendocrinology 182 (2025) 107658]","authors":"Lee T. Gettler ,&nbsp;Sarah Hoegler Dennis","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107707","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107707","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107707"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145621507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functional polygenic risk score of glucocorticoid-dependent regulatory element activity and its relation to clinical and stress-related phenotypes","authors":"F. Linsen ,&nbsp;P.C. Habets ,&nbsp;Y. Milaneschi ,&nbsp;S. Penner-Goeke ,&nbsp;B. Mishuris ,&nbsp;D. Czamara ,&nbsp;B.W.J.H. Penninx ,&nbsp;E.B. Binder ,&nbsp;O.C. Meijer ,&nbsp;C.H. Vinkers","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107703","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107703","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Background&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Chronic stress and adverse life events are major contributors to depression and anxiety disorders. Genetic variants that influence glucocorticoid (GC) hormone responses may moderate the impact of stress on psychiatric outcomes. Here, we use a functional polygenic risk score (fPRS) based on GC-responsive gene regulatory elements (GREs) following dexamethasone (DEX) exposure (DEX-fPRS) and examined its association with clinical and biological stress-related phenotypes.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;We analyzed data from 2286 participants in the Dutch NESDA cohort, with baseline, 2-year, and 6-year follow-up visits, including 1115 with baseline depression/anxiety diagnoses. Univariable and multivariable regression models, adjusted for age, sex, batch, and ancestry principal components, were used to test associations between DEX-fPRS and lifetime diagnosis, cumulative symptom severity, and clinical features among cases (e.g. symptom severity, recurrence). Subgroup comparisons (e.g. single vs. recurrent episodes) and biological outcomes (salivary cortisol, immune markers) were also assessed. A vehicle-treated fPRS control (VEH-fPRS) was additionally tested, capturing genetic variants associated with baseline, non-GR-stimulated enhancer activity. Gene-environment interactions were tested and replication in the MARS cohort (N = 1160).&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;In the full sample, DEX-fPRS showed no significant associations with lifetime diagnosis, symptom severity, or biological measures after Bonferroni correction (all &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;&gt;0.05), although a nominally significant negative association was observed for morning cortisol (AUCg) in the univariable model (B=-0.05, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.03, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.19). Among cases, evening cortisol showed nominally significant negative associations in both models (univariable: B=-0.05, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.02, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.09; multivariable: B=-0.04, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.02, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.14). A significant positive association was found for recurrent vs. single episodes in both models (univariable: β=1.24, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.01, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.03; multivariable B=1.21, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.01, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.04). VEH-fPRS showed similar nominal associations for recurrent episodes (univariable: B=1.13, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.03, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.11; multivariable B=1.21, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.02, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.08) and a negative association for single episodes versus controls in the multivariable model (B=-1.52, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.02, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.07). No gene-environment interactions were detected, and none of the NESDA findings were replicated in the MARS cohort.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Conclusion&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;While the DEX-fPRS was not associated with lifetime diagnosi","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107703"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145649214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exogenous estradiol modulates entorhinal cortex contributions to episodic encoding of conditioned threat in women","authors":"Katelyn I. Oliver ,&nbsp;Kristina Dahlgren ,&nbsp;Alyssa R. Roeckner ,&nbsp;Cecilia A. Hinojosa ,&nbsp;Justin L.C. Santos ,&nbsp;Linzie S. Taylor ,&nbsp;Helena Zeleke ,&nbsp;Amy Murphy ,&nbsp;Colin Johnson II ,&nbsp;Dasani DelRosario ,&nbsp;Timothy D. Ely ,&nbsp;Rebecca Hinrichs ,&nbsp;Natalie A. Merrill ,&nbsp;Marisa R. Young ,&nbsp;Andrea Braden ,&nbsp;Abigail Powers ,&nbsp;Sanne J.H. van Rooij ,&nbsp;Vasiliki Michopoulos ,&nbsp;Jennifer S. Stevens","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107709","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107709","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Estradiol (E2) positively influences memory facilitation effects in older women and rodent models by targeting key memory-related brain regions. However, the impacts of E2 on emotional memory processes in younger women are less clear. As women are twice as likely as men to develop trauma related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is important to understand how hormones like E2 might impact threat memory mechanisms. Using a randomized, double-blinded, cross-over design, we administered transdermal E2 or placebo to 45 naturally-cycling, Black women (18–35 years) with a range of trauma-related symptoms during the early luteal (low endogenous E2) phase of their cycles. The following day, participants underwent a categorical threat conditioning paradigm during fMRI recording and completed a post-scan recognition test of images seen during the scanning session. The next month, participants repeated experimental procedures under the opposite patch condition. Blood samples taken day of scan showed a mean 80 pg/mL increase in serum E2 levels under E2 supplementation. While all participants showed an enhancement of threat on memory, such that threat-associated (CS+) images were later recognized better than neutral (CS-) pictures, neither E2 patch nor PTSD symptom severity predicted recognition performance. However, under placebo, greater bilateral entorhinal cortex (ERC) response during threat vs safety learning (CS+&gt;CS-) was associated with greater post-scan recognition for CS+ compared to the CS- category, indicating greater ERC facilitation of episodic encoding and threat bias in the low E2 condition. We also found that the combination of high E2 and progesterone (P4) was associated with reduced ERC CS+ &gt;CS- activity, potentially explaining why E2 supplementation did not facilitate CS+ &gt;CS- recognition and suggesting an antagonistic role for P4 with E2 in memory facilitation. E2 produced an increase in ERC functional connectivity to the superior temporal gyrus during CS- encoding, which may suggest a shift in ERC engagement away from episodic encoding. These findings indicate that the post-ovulation drop in E2 and potential interactions with P4 facilitate the episodic encoding of safety and threat cues in women, given that exogenous E2 blocked these effects. This study provides novel causal evidence on the role of cyclical fluctuation in E2 in determining episodic components of memory for learned threat and safety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107709"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145621438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Not all saliva samples are equal: The role of cellular heterogeneity in DNA methylation and epigenetic age analyses with biological and psychosocial factors","authors":"Meingold H. Chan ,&nbsp;Mandy Meijer ,&nbsp;Sarah M. Merrill ,&nbsp;Maggie P.Y. Fu ,&nbsp;David Lin ,&nbsp;Julia L. MacIsaac ,&nbsp;Jenna L. Riis ,&nbsp;Douglas A. Granger ,&nbsp;Elizabeth A. Thomas ,&nbsp;Michael S. Kobor","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107688","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107688","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Saliva is widely used in biomedical population research, including epigenetic analyses to investigate gene-environment interplay and identify biomarkers. Its minimally invasive collection procedure makes it ideal for studies in pediatric populations. Saliva is a heterogenous tissue composed of immune and buccal epithelial cells (BEC). Amongst the many epigenetic marks, DNA methylation (DNAm) is the most studied in human populations. DNAm profiles are often highly cell type (CT)-specific. CT composition can drive salivary DNAm associations with environments or health as well as epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), which is the discrepancy between chronological and biological age derived from DNAm. To address this, reference-based CT deconvolution and statistical adjustment with estimated CT in DNAm analyses have become a common practice. However, it remains unclear how different CT reference panels—constructed from adult versus pediatric samples—affect DNAm results. Additionally, whether DNAm and EAA associations in saliva primarily originate from immune cells or BECs, or if they persist across saliva samples despite varying CT proportions, still requires more investigations. The current study used salivary DNAm samples obtained from 529 children (mean age=7.26 years, SD=0.26 years) in a community-based cohort, the Family Life Project. Our results demonstrated that the child reference panel outperformed the adult one based on goodness of fit measure and highlighted the impact of estimated CT discrepancies across reference panels on DNAm associations. Upon stratifying the salivary DNAm samples into three subsamples—primarily BECs, primarily immune cells, and an approximately equal mix of both, we found significantly different EAAs across stratified samples when CT proportions were not accounted for. In both the contexts of DNAm and EAA associations, we detected stronger effects of cotinine concentrations, a tobacco smoke-exposure biomarker, in the subsample with primarily immune cells. We discussed the implications of our findings for the interpretation and replication of epigenetic research involving pediatric saliva samples.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107688"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145565213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Self-compassion and stress responses among early adolescents","authors":"Gabriel Zieff ,&nbsp;Taylyn Jameson ,&nbsp;Alison Nutini ,&nbsp;Ashley M. Battaglini ,&nbsp;Ellen Jopling ,&nbsp;Bronwen Grocott ,&nbsp;Katerina Rnic ,&nbsp;Eli Puterman ,&nbsp;Joelle LeMoult","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107694","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107694","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Self-compassion is an adaptive means of relating to oneself that encompasses elements of self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. Self-compassion has positive associations with health and may dampen biological and psychological stress responses, which would be particularly helpful for those with a history of early life adversity. The purpose of this study was to determine i) the association of trait self-compassion with cortisol and affective responses to an acute psychosocial stressor among early adolescents, and ii) whether this association differed by exposure to early life adversity (e.g., abuse, neglect).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Eighty-three early adolescents (<em>M</em> = 12.86 years; 47 % girls, 1 % non-binary) self-reported their trait self-compassion, completed a structured interview-based assessment to assess threat- and deprivation-related exposures to early life adversity, and underwent a psychosocial laboratory stressor (Trier Social Stress Test for Children; TSST-C). Salivary cortisol and self-reported positive and negative affect were measured at six timepoints before, during, and for 30 min following the stressor. We tested associations of self-compassion with trajectories (reactivity, recovery) and total levels (area under the curve with respect to ground; AUCg) of cortisol and positive and negative affect across the TSST-C, as well as moderating effects of early life adversity. Hierarchical linear models were used to test trajectories, and linear regression was used to test AUCg, with unstandardized (<em>B</em>) and standardized beta coefficients (<em>β)</em> reported, respectively.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Self-compassion was not associated with total cortisol levels or trajectories of cortisol, positive affect, or negative affect (all <em>p</em> &gt; 0.057). However, greater self-compassion was associated with higher sample 1 positive affect, <em>B</em> = 1.815, <em>t</em>(71) = 2.84, <em>p</em> = .006, and greater total positive affect levels, <em>β</em> = 0.411, <em>t</em>(62) = 3.90, <em>p</em> &lt; .001. Similarly, self-compassion was associated with lower sample 1 negative affect, <em>B</em> = -1.261, <em>t</em>(72) = -2.35, <em>p</em> = 0.022, and less total negative affect levels, <em>β</em> = -0.269, <em>t</em>(75) = -2<em>.</em>45, <em>p</em> = 0.017. Additionally, sensitivity analyses indicated that at higher levels of early-life threat exposure, greater self-compassion was associated with higher sample 1 positive affect.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Among adolescents – including those exposed to threat-related forms of early life adversity– self-compassion may impart more general, diffuse beneficial effects on affect rather than buffering affective or cortisol responses to an acute stressor.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107694"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145565210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Androstadienone reduces women’s mate-choice copying: The moderating role of intrasexual competition","authors":"Ludan Liu ,&nbsp;Lijun Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107717","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107717","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Androstadienone (AND), a putative human chemosignal, has been shown to influence women’s mate preferences, but whether it also shapes mate-choice strategies remains unclear. The present research tested the hypothesis that AND reduces women’s mate-choice copying, and that this inhibitory effect is moderated by intrasexual competition. Using a double-blind design, participants attended two sessions on consecutive days, inhaling either AND or a placebo (order randomized), and then completed a mate-choice copying task. In Study 1 (<em>N</em> = 54), AND reduced mate-choice copying among women low in intrasexual competition, whereas women high in intrasexual competition showed little copying under both AND and placebo conditions. Study 2 (<em>N</em> = 50) experimentally primed intrasexual competition and replicated these findings: when competition was primed, women displayed no mate-choice copying in either condition, whereas under non-competitive conditions AND suppressed copying. Across both studies, women exposed to AND reported a significantly lower perception of intimacy in romantic pairs compared to those in the placebo group. These findings provide the first evidence that AND regulates women’s mate-choice copying under conditions of low intrasexual competition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107717"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145691040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Heterogeneous cortisol patterns during the peripartum: Insights from a longitudinal trajectory analysis","authors":"Jelena Dukic ,&nbsp;Alexandra Johann ,&nbsp;Mirka Henninger ,&nbsp;Ulrike Ehlert","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107692","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107692","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The maternal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis undergoes substantial physiological changes during pregnancy and postpartum, reflected in altered cortisol secretion patterns. However, research has shown considerable heterogeneity in cortisol patterns across the peripartum period and in part contradictory findings. Individual courses of cortisol secretion and their determinants remain poorly understood.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In a longitudinal cohort of 127 healthy pregnant women, we assessed salivary cortisol at five time points from late pregnancy (gestational weeks 34–36 and 40) to eight weeks postpartum. Group-based trajectory modeling was applied to three cortisol measures to identify distinct cortisol secretion patterns. Associations with sociodemographic and psychological covariates were explored.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Across all cortisol indices, two distinct trajectory groups emerged. The majority of women (79–86 %) exhibited stable, relatively lower cortisol levels during late pregnancy and postpartum, while a smaller subgroup (14–21 %) exhibited a consistently elevated and more variable cortisol trajectory. Trajectory groups showed high classification stability (98–99 %), but no sociodemographic or psychological variables significantly predicted group membership.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Our findings reveal two distinct maternal cortisol trajectory subgroups across the peripartum period, reflecting heterogeneity in HPA axis regulation. The lack of significant associations with the measured covariates raises the possibility that unmeasured mechanisms, such as genetic or epigenetic influences, may contribute to these patterns. These distinct cortisol trajectories may reflect differing modes of neuroendocrine regulation, offering a potential explanation for inconsistencies in prior peripartum cortisol research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107692"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145574159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}