Salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase as stress markers to evaluate an individualized music intervention for people with dementia: feasibility and pilot analyses
Hillebrand et al.
The finding, in our words
Using Saliva Children's Swabs to collect salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol was feasible in elderly nursing home residents with dementia, though active patient engagement remained necessary. However, an individualised music listening intervention showed no significant effect on these salivary stress markers.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
This study used home self-collected saliva samples to successfully monitor cytokines and cortisol in mothers and infants, finding that a community singing intervention significantly reduced salivary interleukin-6 levels in mothers with postnatal depression.
Kirkpatrick et al., Brain, behavior, and immunity (paywalled) · source ↗
The study determined that an at-home saliva collection protocol using the passive drool method was feasible for Black women with histories of abuse, with 84% of participants completing at least one full day of adherent sampling. While the decentralised approach yielded usable cortisol data, women with histories of forced sex exposure showed lower protocol adherence scores.
Tsuyuki et al., Interactive journal of medical research (paywalled) · source ↗
Cortisol dynamic range measured from participant-led saliva collection was feasible and associated with higher perceived stress and anxiety in African American women, suggesting saliva self-collection can serve as a decentralised biomarker of chronic stress.
Ortiz et al., Journal of participatory medicine · source ↗
In women with endometriosis, longer individual exercise sessions were associated with lower levels of salivary c-reactive protein and estradiol, as well as reduced pain and fat mass. The results demonstrate the utility of timed, at-home saliva self-collection for assessing systemic biomarkers in reproductive health research.
The study found improved salivary DHEA levels and reduced anxiety and loneliness in older adults after a 12-week digital music and movement intervention, showing that decentralised, patient-centric saliva sampling can support biological and psychosocial monitoring in care homes.