Cited by 248Stress Responses and CortisolCircadian rhythm and melatoninHypothalamic control of reproductive hormones

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Development of cortisol circadian rhythm in infancy

de Weerth, Carolina, Zijl, Robbert H, Buitelaar, Jan K·2003·Early Human Development

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Abstract

Background and aims Cortisol is the final product of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. It is secreted in a pulsatile fashion that displays a circadian rhythm. Infants are born without a circadian rhythm in cortisol and they acquire it during their first year of life. Studies do not agree on the age of appearance of the circadian rhythm (varying between 2 weeks till the age of 9 months) nor on whether it is related to the appearance of the sleep-wake circadian rhythm. The object of the present study was to find evidence of the age of appearance of the diurnal rhythm of cortisol and to compare the results obtained by several different analysis methods on a new data set. Design and measures Cortisol was determined in salival samples of 14 normally developing infants who were followed monthly between the ages of 2 and 5 months. The data were analyzed with several previously published analysis methods as well as with Multilevel Analysis (Hierarchical Linear Modeling). Results The previously published analysis methods each produced different results when applied to the current data set. Moreover, our results indicate striking differences between young infants in both age of appearance and stability of the diurnal cortisol rhythm. Also, a link was found between the appearance of the sleep-wake circadian rhythm and the cortisol circadian rhythm. An important intraindividual variability in cortisol levels was found even after correcting for the different variables that af…

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Authors: de Weerth, C., Zijl, R. H., & Buitelaar, J. K.
Affiliations: University Medical Center Utrecht (NL)
Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
ORCID: Buitelaar, Jan K
Venue: Early Human Development
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2003-08
Volume: 73
Issue: 1-2
Pages: 39-52
ISSN: 0378-3782 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/s0378-3782(03)00074-4
OpenAlex: W2112583133
Cited by: 248
References: 40
Citations by year: 2026: 5 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 10
FWCI: 1.76
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Early Human Development (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
Keywords: cortisol, circadian rhythm, diurnal cycle, infancy, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, salivary cortisol, sleep-wake cycle, age of onset, within-person variability, multilevel analysis
MeSH terms: Adult, Biological Clocks, Circadian Rhythm, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Infant, Male, Pregnancy, Saliva, Sleep, Models, Statistical

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Development of cortisol circadian rhythm in infancy

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