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Gender effect on the relationship between stress hormones and panic-agoraphobic spectrum dimensions in healthy subjects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 December 2012

Liliana Dell'Osso ,
Donatella Marazziti ,
Eleonora Da Pozzo ,
Ciro Conversano ,
Stefano Baroni ,
Gabriele Massimetti ,
Claudia Martini  and
Claudia Carmassi
Liliana Dell'Osso
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Donatella Marazziti
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Eleonora Da Pozzo
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Farmacia, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Ciro Conversano
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Stefano Baroni
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Gabriele Massimetti
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Claudia Martini
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Farmacia, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Claudia Carmassi*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
*
*Address for correspondence: Claudia Carmassi, MD, PhD, Dipartimento di Psichiatria, Neurobiologia, Farmacologia e Biotecnologie, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56127 - Pisa, Italy. (Email ccarmassi@gmail.com)
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Abstract

Introduction

Alterations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and of its peripheral indices have been reported in both normal and pathological anxiety with controversial findings. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible correlations between serum cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) levels and DHEA-S/cortisol ratio, and panic-agoraphobic spectrum dimensions in a sample of healthy subjects.

Methods

Forty-two healthy subjects of both sexes, with no current or lifetime psychiatric disorders, were assessed by means of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I/P) and the so-called Panic Agoraphobic Spectrum-Self Report lifetime version (PAS-SR).

Results

Significant, negative correlations were found between cortisol levels and the total score of the separation sensitivity, panic-like symptoms, and medication/substance sensitivity PAS-SR domains. The PAS-SR total and the panic-like symptoms domain scores were positively related to the DHEAS/cortisol ratio. When the sample was divided in women and men, these correlations were present in women only.

Discussion

These findings, while indicating the presence of significant relationships between panic-agoraphobic traits and some indices of HPA axis functioning in healthy women, would suggest this as one of the factors explaining the greater vulnerability of women to cross the line between normal and pathological anxiety.

Conclusions

Further studies are needed to explore gender differences in the relationships between HPA axis alterations and the panic-agoraphobic spectrum dimensions.

Keywords

Anxietycortisoldehydroepiandrosterone-sulfatespectrumsubthreshold symptoms
Type
Original Research
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 17 , Issue 4 , December 2012 , pp. 214 - 220
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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