Reliability of salivary cortisol assessments in cocaine dependent individuals

The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of salivary cortisol as a measure of hypothalmic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function in cocaine dependent individuals. Saliva and total plasma samples were collected from 49 abusers on 3 testing days in the morning, across eight time points per day. Significant associations between saliva and plasma cortisol were observed across all time points collapsed across 3 days in both men and women. These moderately significant correlations suggest that salivary measurements represent a stable, non-invasive and broad indicator of HPA axis functioning in cocaine dependent individuals.