The symphonic structure of childhood stress reactivity: patterns of sympathetic, parasympathetic, and adrenocortical responses to psychological challenge

Dev Psychopathol. 2014 Nov;26(4 Pt 1):963-82. doi: 10.1017/S0954579414000480. Epub 2014 Jun 9.

Abstract

Despite widespread recognition that the physiological systems underlying stress reactivity are well coordinated at a neurobiological level, surprisingly little empirical attention has been given to delineating precisely how the systems actually interact with one another when confronted with stress. We examined cross-system response proclivities in anticipation of and following standardized laboratory challenges in 664 4- to 14-year-olds from four independent studies. In each study, measures of stress reactivity within both the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system (i.e., the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system) and the corticotrophin releasing hormone system (i.e., the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) were collected. Latent profile analyses revealed six distinctive patterns that recurred across the samples: moderate reactivity (average cross-system activation; 52%-80% of children across samples), parasympathetic-specific reactivity (2%-36%), anticipatory arousal (4%-9%), multisystem reactivity (7%-14%), hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis specific reactivity (6%-7%), and underarousal (0%-2%). Groups meaningfully differed in socioeconomic status, family adversity, and age. Results highlight the sample-level reliability of children's neuroendocrine responses to stress and suggest important cross-system regularities that are linked to development and prior experiences and may have implications for subsequent physical and mental morbidity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Age Factors
  • Arousal / physiology
  • Child
  • Child Development / physiology
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / physiology*
  • Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / physiopathology
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Parasympathetic Nervous System / physiology*
  • Parasympathetic Nervous System / physiopathology
  • Pituitary-Adrenal System / physiology*
  • Pituitary-Adrenal System / physiopathology
  • Stress, Psychological / physiopathology*
  • Sympathetic Nervous System / physiology*
  • Sympathetic Nervous System / physiopathology