Is afternoon cortisol more reliable than waking cortisol in association studies of children with an ASD?

Title
Is afternoon cortisol more reliable than waking cortisol in association studies of children with an ASD?
Publication Date
2016
Author(s)
Sharpley, Christopher
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7922-4848
Email: csharpl3@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:csharpl3
Bitsika, Vicki
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2518-6684
Email: vbitsik2@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:vbitsik2
Andronicos, Nicholas
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5881-2296
Email: nandroni@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:nandroni
Agnew, Linda
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2803-0995
Email: lagnew2@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:lagnew2
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Elsevier Inc
Place of publication
United States of America
DOI
10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.12.020
UNE publication id
une:20469
Abstract
Salivary cortisol may be used as a biomarker of stress and anxiety in children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and is particularly valuable in studies of the association between stress-related cortisol concentrations and other factors such as comorbid disorders or aspects of the ASD phenotype. Although protocols for the collection of cortisol shortly after waking are often based on the assumption of the presence of a diurnal rhythm in cortisol, that rhythm may not be as reliable in children with an ASD as in non-ASD children. Alternatively, collecting cortisol during the afternoon may represent a more reliable procedure with less inter-participant variability.
Link
Citation
Physiology & Behavior, v.155, p. 218-223
ISSN
1873-507X
0031-9384
Start page
218
End page
223

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