Psychoneuroendocrinology最新文献

{"title":"Linking allostatic load, heart rate variability and brain functional networks and structures in healthy men","authors":"Juan M. Solano-Atehortua ,&nbsp;Gabriel Castrillón ,&nbsp;Jazmin X. Suarez-Revelo ,&nbsp;Juan D. Sánchez-López ,&nbsp;Daniel A. Vargas-Tejada ,&nbsp;Hawkins-Caicedo Valentina ,&nbsp;Juan C. Calderón ,&nbsp;Jaime Gallo-Villegas ,&nbsp;Yedselt V. Ospina-Serrano ,&nbsp;Juan D. Caicedo-Jaramillo ,&nbsp;Ana L. Miranda-Angulo","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2026.107759","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2026.107759","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>The allostatic load index (ALI) measures the cumulative physiological burden exerted on the body by chronic stress known as allostatic load (AL). The relationship between ALI and heart rate variability (HRV), as well as the brain moderation effect on this relationship in healthy individuals, is underexplored.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this cross-sectional study of 88 healthy men (21–40 years) from Medellín, Colombia, we calculated two ALIs composed of four and seven biomarkers (ALI-4 and ALI-7) using a quartile-based risk summation method. Functional and structural neuroimaging metrics were derived from magnetic resonance imaging. Multiple linear regression models were used to evaluate the associations between the ALIs and HRV metrics derived from a 24-hour Holter. Exploratory interaction models tested whether the functional connectivity strength (FCS) of default mode (DMN), salience (SN) and control subnetworks (CEN), their cortical thickness as well as the volume of subcortical structures, moderated the ALI–HRV association.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>ALI-7 was positively associated with the LF/HF ratio (β = 0.09, <em>p</em> = 0.004, 95 % CI = 0.03–0.15). Exploratory interactions suggested that ALI-7’s association with the standard deviation of the NN intervals (SDNN) was moderated by the FCS in the posterior DMN and by cortical thickness in the anterior SN. However, none of these interactions remained significant after false discovery rate correction.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>In healthy men, higher ALI was associated with reduced HRV as indicated by higher LF/HF ratio. Larger studies, including women, are needed to confirm the predictive value of ALI-7 and to elucidate the brain moderation effect on the AL-HRV relationship.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"186 ","pages":"Article 107759"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146019517","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":"The association between levels of GPS-tracked activity space violent crime and the relationship between cortisol and a biomarker of inflammation amongst Black and White adolescents","authors":"Kendra L. Wilson ,&nbsp;Bethany L. Boettner ,&nbsp;Christopher R. Browning ,&nbsp;Jodi L. Ford ,&nbsp;Baldwin M. Way","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107722","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107722","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Exposure to areas high in violent crime is a potent stressor that influences health outcomes by chronically undermining safety and upregulating biological stress responses. We tested the hypothesis that the association between cortisol, as measured in head hair, and inflammation, as measured by C-Reactive Protein (CRP) in capillary blood, is dependent on the degree of violent crime within adolescents’ everyday activity spaces. Because structural inequities cause Black adolescents to spend more time in areas with higher rates of violent crime, we tested this hypothesis in Black and White youth separately. 137 adolescents (M_age = 15.55, 57 % female, 52 % Black, 48 % White) participated in the study. We obtained continuous GPS-tracked data for one week to assess the average violent crime rate across the areas where participants spent time; biosamples were collected at the end of the week. Among Black adolescents, there was an interaction such that higher GPS-tracked activity space violent crime levels were associated with a positive and significant association between CRP and cortisol, consistent with models suggesting that stress can dysregulate immune-endocrine functioning. Conversely, for Black adolescents with low rates of exposure, cortisol had a negative association with CRP, consistent with a normative effect of glucocorticoid inhibition of inflammation. For White adolescents, cortisol and violence levels were significantly lower than for Black adolescents, and in this context, there was a weak main effect of violence exposure on CRP but no significant interaction. Results suggest the association between cortisol and inflammation varies across violent crime levels within the areas adolescents spend time and emphasize the importance of studying how an adolescent’s environment shapes biological responses to chronic stressors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 107722"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145827218","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":"NR3C1 and IGF2/H19 methylation patterns predict infant and preschooler temperament: Links to maternal stress in pregnancy","authors":"Anna E. Soerensen ,&nbsp;Stijn Vos ,&nbsp;Marijke A.K.A. Braeken ,&nbsp;Marion I. van den Heuvel ,&nbsp;Bea R.H. Van den Bergh ,&nbsp;Tim S. Nawrot","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107728","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107728","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Maternal distress has been associated with many offspring behavioural developmental outcomes, potentially through epigenetic modification of the glucocorticoid receptor <em>NR3C1</em> or the imprinting control region between insulin-like growth factor 2 and <em>H19</em> (<em>IGF2/H19</em>).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>148 mother-infant pairs from the Prenatal Early Life Stress (PELS) cohort participated in this study. Maternal self-reported psychosocial and work-related factors were determined during pregnancy. <em>NR3C1</em> and <em>IGF2/H19</em> methylation levels were measured by bisulfite-pyrosequencing in the buccal cells of the infant (3–5 months). Infant and preschooler (4 years) temperament were assessed by the Infant- and Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ-R-vsf and CBQ-R-vsf, respectively). Linear mixed effect models, linear regression models and mediation analyses were used to test associations.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>Maternal work-related physical and emotional demands were predictive of infant <em>NR3C1</em> and <em>IGF2/H19</em> methylation on several cytosine-phosphate-guanine sites. <em>NR3C1</em> and <em>IGF2/H19</em> methylation were associated with infant surgency. <em>NR3C1</em> was found to mediate the association between maternal work-related physical demands and surgency in infancy.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Occupational stressors during pregnancy were shown to associate with <em>NR3C1</em> and <em>IGF2/H19</em> methylation in the infant, which may be linked with temperament.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 107728"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145788592","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":"Gestational environmental enrichment modulates neurophysiological and behavioral outcomes in adolescent rats after early-life stress: Sex differences in emotional and social behavior","authors":"Ana Paula Toselli ,&nbsp;Franco Baretta ,&nbsp;Agustina Villegas ,&nbsp;Oriana Micaela Casado ,&nbsp;Franco Rafael Mir ,&nbsp;María Angélica Rivarola","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107723","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107723","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The perinatal environment critically shapes neurodevelopmental trajectories. Early life stress (ELS), particularly when associated with disrupted maternal care, has been linked to long-lasting neurobiological and behavioral alterations. This study explored the potential of gestational environmental enrichment (EE) to modulate these effects in a rodent model. Pregnant Wistar rats were housed under either EE or standard conditions (SC); offspring were subsequently exposed to stress paradigms, including maternal separation (MS), intruder male (IM) or no stress (NS) during lactation. In adolescence, males and females were evaluated for anxiety-like and social behaviors using elevated plus maze, open field, and social preference tests. A composite Z-score was calculated to provide a comprehensive measure of anxiety-related behaviors by integrating the parameters from the elevated plus maze and open field tests. Additionally, neuronal activity in regions associated with emotional and social regulation was analyzed. Our findings revealed significant sex-dependent differences in behavioral outcomes. Females exhibited reduced anxiety-like behaviors and greater exploratory activity than males, regardless of ELS exposure or gestational housing. Gestational EE mitigated anxiety-like behaviors, as indicated by reduced Z-scores and modulated social interaction patterns in both sexes, although specific effects varied according to stress condition. At the neural level, EE enhanced ΔFosB expression in the basolateral amygdala of MS offspring, while ELS reduced hippocampal ΔFosB, particularly in the dentate gyrus and CA2 regions. Moreover, sex-dependent patterns of ΔFosB activity emerged across amygdalar and hippocampal circuits, aligning with the behavioral differences observed. These results suggest that EE buffers ELS effects by differentially recruiting amygdalo-hippocampal circuits, highlighting sex-specific vulnerability and resilience mechanisms relevant to neurodevelopment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 107723"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145775476","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":"Estrogen and oxytocin receptors interplay in the medial amygdala to rapidly facilitate social recognition","authors":"D. Cantini ,&nbsp;P. Paletta ,&nbsp;C. Sexton ,&nbsp;C. Schmidt ,&nbsp;M. Cha ,&nbsp;D. Aspesi ,&nbsp;S. McGuinness ,&nbsp;K. LaDouceur ,&nbsp;M. Kavaliers ,&nbsp;E. Choleris","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107727","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107727","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The estrogen, 17β-estradiol (E2), rapidly facilitates social recognition in various regions of the social brain network. The medial amygdala (MeA) is heavily involved in the processing of social cues and expresses the three main estrogen receptors (ER): ERα, ERβ, and G Protein-Coupled ER (GPER).</div><div>All ERs, as well as oxytocin and its receptor (OTR) in the MeA are crucial for social recognition in female mice, suggesting an interplay between ERs and OTR in the rapid facilitation of this social behavior. Here, we demonstrate an interplay between E2 and the three ERs (ERα, ERβ, GPER) with OTR in the MeA underlying the rapid facilitation of social recognition. Ovariectomized female mice were bilaterally infused with a sub-effective dose of OTR antagonist (i.e. the highest dose that does not prevent social recognition) into the MeA via indwelling cannulae, prior to an infusion of either E2 or one of the three ER agonists: ERα agonist PPT, ERβ agonist DPN, GPER agonist G1. A social recognition paradigm designed to measure rapid effects of treatment was employed. In all conditions, the sub-effective dose of OTR antagonist prevented the rapid facilitation of social recognition by E2 and each of the three ER agonists. The results show that E2 and the three main ERs require OTRs to rapidly facilitate social recognition in the MeA of female mice, thus demonstrating a rapid, likely non-genomic, interplay between the estrogen and oxytocin systems in social cognitive processing within a key region of the social brain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 107727"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145782626","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":"Sex-specific associations between second-trimester maternal cortisol and neonatal outcomes in island and mainland populations","authors":"Rafaela Mrdjen-Hodžić ,&nbsp;Olga Malev ,&nbsp;Natalija Novokmet ,&nbsp;Jelena Šarac ,&nbsp;Dubravka Havaš Auguštin ,&nbsp;Saša Missoni ,&nbsp;Sofia Ana Blažević","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107726","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107726","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy has been associated with long-term developmental and metabolic consequences in offspring. Cortisol, a primary stress hormone, plays a central role in this process, and its levels may be influenced by environmental factors, such as geographic isolation. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between place of residence (islands or mainland) and newborn-sex on maternal cortisol levels (as a physiological indicator of stress) and neonatal anthropometry in the first Croatian Islands’ Birth Cohort Study (CRIBS).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A total of N = 337 pregnant women from the CRIBS cohort were included: N = 188 residing on islands and N = 149 residing on the mainland. Maternal plasma cortisol levels were measured during the second trimester using High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Anthropometry and cortisol data were analyzed using appropriate parametric and non-parametric tests, two-way ANOVA or ANCOVA for group comparisons, and mixed-effects modeling for repeated measures.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Pre- and post- pregnancy BMI values were elevated in women residing on the islands in comparison to women residing on the mainland. Cortisol levels, birth weight, birth length, and head circumference were influenced by newborn sex. Mothers carrying female offspring had higher cortisol levels and their offspring lower developmental outcomes, with greater differences observed among island residents for birth weight and length.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Fetal sex and environmental context (mainland vs. island) influence maternal HPA axis regulation and early developmental outcomes, suggesting that island residents may experience unique stressors related to their environment. Sex-specific associations in maternal cortisol and neonatal growth highlight the importance of considering fetal sex in studies of prenatal stress biology. Future work should clarify how geographic isolation influences prenatal stress biology and identify actionable risks to improve maternal and child health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 107726"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145788603","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":"The active monitoring of oxytocin research evidence (AMORE) platform","authors":"Ingebjørg A. Iversen ,&nbsp;Kaat Alaerts ,&nbsp;Marian Bakermans-Kranenburg ,&nbsp;Benjamin Becker ,&nbsp;Robert James Blair ,&nbsp;Jennifer A. Bartz ,&nbsp;Jessica J. Connelly ,&nbsp;Beate Ditzen ,&nbsp;Natalie C. Ebner ,&nbsp;Heemin Kang ,&nbsp;Elizabeth A. Lawson ,&nbsp;Nicole Nadine Lønfeldt ,&nbsp;Matthijs Moerkerke ,&nbsp;Christian Montag ,&nbsp;Anna-Rosa Cecilie Mora-Jensen ,&nbsp;Marilyn Horta ,&nbsp;Leehe Peled-Avron ,&nbsp;Tanya L. Procyshyn ,&nbsp;Alina I. Sartorius ,&nbsp;Dirk Scheele ,&nbsp;Daniel S. Quintana","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107713","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107713","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Oxytocin, an evolutionarily conserved neuropeptide, plays a crucial role in various physiological and behavioural processes, offering potential therapeutic benefits for several psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions. Despite its promise, oxytocin research has been marked by inconsistent results concerning its therapeutic applications and underlying mechanisms. Performing a systematic review and meta-analysis is a popular approach to shed light on mixed findings in a body of literature; however, they can become quickly outdated as new evidence becomes available. Given these challenges, research on the links between oxytocin and biobehavioural outcomes is ideally positioned for the adoption of ‘living’ meta-analyses, which allow for the continuous integration of new data and updated conclusions. Here we introduce the Active Monitoring of Oxytocin Research Evidence (AMORE) platform (<span><span>https://amore-project.org</span><svg><path></path></svg></span>), which is a hub that aggregates articles and materials associated with living meta-analyses for biobehavioural oxytocin research in humans. Developed through consensus among 24 expert researchers, a standardized framework was established that either requires or recommends practices ensuring transparency and rigor in living meta-analyses featured on the AMORE platform. Overall, AMORE has been designed to advance human oxytocin biobehavioural research by the timely integration of emerging evidence through transparent living meta-analyses. To date, two living meta-analysis projects at different stages of publication are hosted on AMORE, demonstrating the platform’s practical application.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 107713"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145739283","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":"Hair cortisol concentration and adolescent mental health: Insight from the Queensland Twin Adolescent Brain Project","authors":"Sabine Finlay ,&nbsp;Beena Suvarna ,&nbsp;Oyelola Adegboye ,&nbsp;Donna Rudd ,&nbsp;Brett McDermott ,&nbsp;Liza van Eijk ,&nbsp;Zoltan Sarnyai","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107730","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107730","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Adolescence is a stress-sensitive period for neurodevelopment and mental health, with chronic stress implicated in the onset of psychological disorders. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) serves as a non-invasive biomarker of long-term hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, yet its relevance to adolescent mental health remains inconsistently characterised.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This longitudinal study examined HCC in 302 community-dwelling adolescent twins from Brisbane, Australia, with data collected at two sessions approximately two years apart, following a standardised assessment protocol. Three cm long hair samples were analysed to quantify cumulative stress exposure over three months, and participants completed self-reported measures of depression, anxiety, daily stress, social support, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Linear mixed-effects models and quantile regression were used to examine mean-level and distributional associations between HCC and psychological and environmental variables.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Average HCC decreased significantly between sessions, with no main effect of sex, twin zygosity, or pubertal stage. In males, a higher average HCC at the second session was associated with elevated general anxiety, whereas in females, a higher average HCC was linked to higher exposure to severe lifetime stress. No associations were found between average HCC and ACEs.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>These findings suggest that average HCC, reflecting cumulative cortisol secretion over the three months before each assessment, provides a stable measure of long-term cortisol in adolescents, although its associations with psychosocial stressors were limited in this cohort. Rather than functioning as a broadly sensitive biomarker of chronic stress, HCC may capture specific stress-related processes in certain subgroups, and its utility may depend on the type, timing, and chronicity of stress exposure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 107730"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977680","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":"Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptom emergence across the cycle in relation to hormonal and psychological components in a community sample","authors":"Kathleen V. Casto ,&nbsp;Julia Stern","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2026.107742","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2026.107742","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>For many individuals, the days leading up to menstruation are associated with aversive mood, behavioral, and physical symptoms, a condition known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Severe levels of these symptoms can lead to clinical diagnosis of premenstrual dysphoria (PMDD). Although prior research has uncovered important psychological and hormonal predictors of PMS/PMDD symptoms in clinical populations, more research is needed to understand how these factors relate in a subclinical population. A test of the menstrual timing and hormonal links to symptom experience alongside factors related to stress would be advantageous for identifying mechanistic underpinnings of symptom severity, factors that might indicate early risk for clinical diagnosis, as well as subclinical factors affecting people’s wellbeing. In a community sample of naturally cycling women (<em>N</em> = 257), we conducted within-subject analyses of PMS symptom reporting and levels of salivary progesterone and cortisol across the cycle and in relation to stress and trait neuroticism. On average, women in this study reported increased PMS symptoms in the days leading up to menstrual onset and decreased symptoms at mid cycle, a pattern that was linked to progesterone levels. Higher levels of experienced stress and trait neuroticism were also positively correlated with PMS symptoms. Yet, main effects for PMS symptom and stress timing across the cycle occurred above and beyond controlling for neuroticism. This research has implications for a broader understanding of the connection between the menstrual cycle and psycho-social experiences as well as risk for clinical psychopathology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 107742"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145978456","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":"Systemic inflammation and ex vivo inflammatory responses in first semester university students","authors":"Kristin M. Davis ,&nbsp;Molly A. Wright ,&nbsp;Christopher G. Engeland ,&nbsp;Kyle W. Murdock","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107729","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107729","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Inflammation contributes to cardiovascular and metabolic disease development. Reducing disease risk by targeting inflammation is therefore desirable in prevention research. However, circulating markers of inflammation are often difficult to detect in younger individuals. <em>Ex vivo</em> stimulated cytokine production offers a promising alternative measure of immune function. Yet, few studies among younger adults have used this measure to date or have assessed its reliability over time.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>First-year university students (N = 110, age 18–19 years) completed two study visits, one each at the beginning and end of their first semester. Circulating cytokines and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cytokine production were assayed at each visit; composites for each were created using IL-1β, IL-6, and IFN-γ. Analyses excluded participants with CRP ≥ 10 mg/L. Pearson’s correlations were used to examine unadjusted associations between circulating and stimulated cytokine composites, within and across visits. Multiple linear regression was then used to test concurrent associations between the circulating and stimulated cytokine composites, and the within-person stability of each measure across visits, adjusting for sex, body mass index, perceived stress, physical activity, diet quality, and sleep quality.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Study visits occurred 13 weeks ± 8 days apart. The circulating and stimulated cytokine composites were significantly correlated at visit 1 (r= 0.374, p&lt;0.01) and at visit 2 (r=0.246, p = 0.02). This association remained significant in regression analyses at both visit 1 (<em>B</em> [95 % CI] = 0.407 [0.196, 0.617], p &lt; 0.01) and visit 2 (<em>B</em> [95 % CI] = 0.312 [0.041, 0.584], p=0.03). The circulating cytokine composite at visit 1 was not significantly associated with the circulating cytokine composite at visit 2 in either correlation (r=-0.009, p=0.94) o<em>r</em> regression (<em>B</em> [95 % CI] = -0.007 [-0.192, 0.179], p = 0.94) analyses. Stimulated cytokine production at visit 1 was significantly associated with stimulated cytokine production at visit 2 in both correlation (r=0.515, p&lt;0.01) and regression analyses (<em>B</em> [95 % CI] = 0.497 [0.293 0.701], p&lt;0.01).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Contrasting with some past research, circulating cytokines were significantly associated with stimulated cytokine production in the present sample concurrently at both visits. Stimulated cytokine production was more stable within-person across visits (∼13 weeks apart) compared to circulating cytokines in these students. Measurement of stimulated cytokines may be informative for understanding between-person differences in inflammation-related disease risk in younger adults, in part because they appear more stable compared to circulating cytokines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"185 ","pages":"Article 107729"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145788593","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}