Are we overestimating the utility of hair glucocorticoids? A systematic review exploring the empirical evidence supporting hair glucocorticoids as a measure of stress

TY - JOUR

T1 - Are we overestimating the utility of hair glucocorticoids? A systematic review exploring the empirical evidence supporting hair glucocorticoids as a measure of stress

AU - Kalliokoski, Otto

AU - Jellestad, Finn K

AU - Murison, Robert

PY - 2018/7/24

Y1 - 2018/7/24

N2 - Quantitating glucocorticoids (GCs) in hairs is a popular method for assessing chronic stress in studies of humans and animals alike. The cause-and-effect relationship between stress and elevated GC levels in hairs, sampled weeks later, is however hard to prove. This systematic review evaluated the evidence supporting hair glucocorticoids (hGCs) as a biomarker of stress. Only a relatively small number of controlled studies employing hGC analyses have been published, and the quality of the evidence is compromised by unchecked sources of bias. Subjects exposed to stress mostly demonstrate elevated levels of hGCs, and these concentrations correlate significantly with GC concentrations in serum, saliva and feces. This supports hGCs as a biomarker of stress, but the dataset provided no evidence that hGCs are a marker of historical stress. Only in cases where the stressor persisted at the time of hair sampling could a clear link between stress and hGCs be established.

AB - Quantitating glucocorticoids (GCs) in hairs is a popular method for assessing chronic stress in studies of humans and animals alike. The cause-and-effect relationship between stress and elevated GC levels in hairs, sampled weeks later, is however hard to prove. This systematic review evaluated the evidence supporting hair glucocorticoids (hGCs) as a biomarker of stress. Only a relatively small number of controlled studies employing hGC analyses have been published, and the quality of the evidence is compromised by unchecked sources of bias. Subjects exposed to stress mostly demonstrate elevated levels of hGCs, and these concentrations correlate significantly with GC concentrations in serum, saliva and feces. This supports hGCs as a biomarker of stress, but the dataset provided no evidence that hGCs are a marker of historical stress. Only in cases where the stressor persisted at the time of hair sampling could a clear link between stress and hGCs be established.

UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/07/24/375667

UR - http://www.mendeley.com/research/we-overestimating-utility-hair-glucocorticoids-systematic-review-exploring-empirical-evidence-suppor

U2 - 10.1101/375667

DO - 10.1101/375667

M3 - Journal article

JO - bioRxiv

JF - bioRxiv

M1 - 375667

ER -