Validation of an online version of the Trier Social Stress Test in a study of adolescents
Gunnar et al.
The finding, in our words
The online Trier Social Stress Test produced cortisol responses in 63% of adolescents with an effect size of 0.57 from baseline to peak, matching in-person test results. This remote protocol allows HPA axis assessment without laboratory visits, making it viable for decentralised research and populations distant from research centres.
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.
A validated LC-MS/MS assay successfully measured 13 steroid hormones and two synthetic steroids in saliva, requiring only 50 microlitres, or down to 2 to 5 microlitres for nine analytes. This shows saliva's viability for non-invasive, patient-centric microsampling and decentralised monitoring in paediatric, neonatal and adult populations.
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This study found that salivary 11-dehydrodexamethasone correlates strongly with serum dexamethasone, unlike salivary dexamethasone which shows poor agreement. This validation suggests patients could self-collect saliva samples at home to verify dexamethasone absorption for the overnight suppression test.