Genetic moderation of cortisol secretion in Holocaust survivors: A pilot study on the role of ADRA2B

Ayala Fridman; Marinus H. Van IJzendoorn; Abraham Sagi-Schwartz; Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg

doi:10.1177/0165025411406859

Genetic moderation of cortisol secretion in Holocaust survivors: A pilot study on the role of ADRA2B

Ayala Fridman, Marinus H. Van IJzendoorn, Abraham Sagi-Schwartz, Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg

Department of Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

In the current study we tested whether ADRA2B moderates stress regulation of Holocaust survivors as indexed by their diurnal cortisol secretion and cortisol reactivity to a stressor. Salivary cortisol levels of 54 female Holocaust survivors and participants in the comparison group were assessed during a routine day and in response to a stress-evoking procedure (an adapted version of the Trier Social Stress Test [TSST]). ADRA2B did not moderate differences between Holocaust survivors and participants in the comparison group in terms of cortisol reactivity to the TSST. Holocaust survivors with the wildtype ADRA2B, however, displayed higher diurnal cortisol levels than did participants in the comparison group with the same genotype, whereas no difference was found between these groups in carriers of the deletion variant, previously associated with more reexperiencing of traumatic events. Carriers of the deletion variant might have been driven in the long run to resolve their vividly remembered experiences, and therefore currently show less stress dysregulation as evident from their cortisol levels.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	79-84
Number of pages	6
Journal	International Journal of Behavioral Development
Volume	36
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025411406859
State	Published - Jan 2012

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank our research assistants Tali Grossman, Yamit Ophir Goldstein, and Sigal Haimovich for their dedicated and sensitive involvement in the project. Special thanks to Sarit Alkalay for her helpful and valuable contribution. The generous support of the German-Israeli Foundation for Research and Development (GIF 279) and the Koehler Stiftung to Avi Sagi-Schwartz, Klaus Grossmann, and Marinus van IJzendoorn is deeply appreciated. Marinus van IJzendoorn and Marian Bakermans-Kranenburg were supported by research awards from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO Spinoza prize and VIDI grant no. 452-04-306, respectively).

Keywords

Orphans
Regulation
Risk factors

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Education
Developmental and Educational Psychology
Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Developmental Neuroscience
Life-span and Life-course Studies

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10.1177/0165025411406859

Cite this

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title = "Genetic moderation of cortisol secretion in Holocaust survivors: A pilot study on the role of ADRA2B",

abstract = "In the current study we tested whether ADRA2B moderates stress regulation of Holocaust survivors as indexed by their diurnal cortisol secretion and cortisol reactivity to a stressor. Salivary cortisol levels of 54 female Holocaust survivors and participants in the comparison group were assessed during a routine day and in response to a stress-evoking procedure (an adapted version of the Trier Social Stress Test [TSST]). ADRA2B did not moderate differences between Holocaust survivors and participants in the comparison group in terms of cortisol reactivity to the TSST. Holocaust survivors with the wildtype ADRA2B, however, displayed higher diurnal cortisol levels than did participants in the comparison group with the same genotype, whereas no difference was found between these groups in carriers of the deletion variant, previously associated with more reexperiencing of traumatic events. Carriers of the deletion variant might have been driven in the long run to resolve their vividly remembered experiences, and therefore currently show less stress dysregulation as evident from their cortisol levels.",

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note = "Funding Information: We thank our research assistants Tali Grossman, Yamit Ophir Goldstein, and Sigal Haimovich for their dedicated and sensitive involvement in the project. Special thanks to Sarit Alkalay for her helpful and valuable contribution. The generous support of the German-Israeli Foundation for Research and Development (GIF 279) and the Koehler Stiftung to Avi Sagi-Schwartz, Klaus Grossmann, and Marinus van IJzendoorn is deeply appreciated. Marinus van IJzendoorn and Marian Bakermans-Kranenburg were supported by research awards from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO Spinoza prize and VIDI grant no. 452-04-306, respectively). ",

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Genetic moderation of cortisol secretion in Holocaust survivors: A pilot study on the role of ADRA2B

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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