Salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol responsiveness following electrical stimulation stress in obsessive–compulsive disorder patients

• Published in: Psychiatry research Vol. 209; no. 1; pp. 85 - 90
• Main Authors: Kawano, Aimi, Tanaka, Yoshihiro, Ishitobi, Yoshinobu, Maruyama, Yoshihiro, Ando, Tomoko, Inoue, Ayako, Okamoto, Shizuko, Imanaga, Junko, Kanehisa, Masayuki, Higuma, Haruka, Ninomiya, Taiga, Tsuru, Jusen, Akiyoshi, Jotaro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ireland Ltd 30-08-2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Behavioral Symptoms - etiology; Biological and medical sciences; Electric Stimulation; Female; Heart Rate - physiology; Humans; Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - complications; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - metabolism; Obsessive-compulsive disorders; Obsessive–compulsive disorder; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Salivary alpha-Amylases - metabolism; Salivary cortisol; Salivary α-amylase; Sympathoadrenal medullary activity; Wrist - innervation; Combined dexamethasone suppression/corticotropin releasing hormone stimulation test; DSM-IV; ACTH; MDD; 2-Chloro-4-nitrophenyl-4-O-β- d-galactopyranosylmaltoside; HRV; Major depressive disorder; Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; Dex/CRH; Autonomic nervous system; State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Y–BOCS, Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale; Obsessive–compulsive disorder; Profile of Mood Statec; High-frequency; Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal; Sympathoadrenal medullary; SSRI; HPA; CgA; Heart rate variability; Analysis of variance; HAM-D; SAM; ELISA; POMS; Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis; ANS; Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; Salivary α-amylase; sAA; SNP; Sympathoadrenal medullary activity; ANOVA; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition; SNS; Standard deviation; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Locus coeruleus; Selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors; Chromogranin A; S.D; Sympathetic nervous system; Salivary cortisol; STAI; OCD; Adrenocorticotropic hormone; MINI; SNRI; LC; LF; Low-frequency; Single nucleotide polymorphism; Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview; HF; Gal-G2-CNP; Human; Corticosteroid; Obsessive compulsive disorder; Hypothalamic―pituitary―adrenal axis; Amylase; Hypothalamohypophysoadrenal axis; Enzyme; Steroid hormone; Electrical stimulus; Anxiety disorder; Antiinflammatory agent; Activity; Hydrocortisone; Glucocorticoid; Stress; Glycosylases; Obsessive―compulsive disorder; Glycosidases; Adrenal hormone; Hydrolases; α-Amylase; 2-Chloro-4-nitrophenyl-4-O-β-d-galactopyranosylmaltoside
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2012.11.010

Abstract Salivary α-amylase (sAA) serves as a marker of sympathoadrenal medullary system (SAM) activity. Salivary AA has not been extensively studied in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) patients. In the current study, 45 OCD patients and 75 healthy volunteers were assessed with the Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (Y–BOCS), the Profile of Mood State (POMS), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Measures of heart rate variability (HRV), sAA, and salivary cortisol were also obtained following the application of electrical stimulation stress. The Y–BOCS and POMS Tension–Anxiety, Depression–Dejection, Anger–Hostility, Fatigue, and Confusion scores were significantly increased in patients with OCD compared with healthy controls. In contrast, Vigor scores were significantly decreased in patients with OCD relative to scores in healthy controls. There was no difference in HRV between the patients and the controls. Salivary AA levels in female and male OCD patients were significantly elevated relative to controls both before and after electrical stimulation. In contrast, there were no differences in salivary cortisol levels between OCD patients and controls. The elevated secretion of sAA before and after stimulation may suggest an increased responsiveness to novel and uncontrollable situations in patients with OCD. An increase in sAA might be a characteristic change of OCD.