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Cortisol in the first year of life: normative values and intra-individual variability

Marieke S Tollenaar1, Jarno Jansen, Roseriet Beijers

  • 1Department of Developmental Psychology, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. m.tollenaar@psych.ru.nl <m.tollenaar@psych.ru.nl>

Early Human Development
|January 7, 2010
PubMed

Insights

This study establishes normal cortisol levels in infants and reveals that these levels decrease over the first year. Infant cortisol variability is significant, especially in the first six months.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Endocrinology
  • Pediatric research

Background:

  • Cortisol measurements are common in infant development studies.
  • Normative data for infant basal cortisol levels in large populations are lacking.
  • Understanding typical cortisol development is crucial for accurate interpretation of infant health and stress.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish normative values for infant basal cortisol levels.
  • To investigate the developmental trajectory of intra-individual cortisol variability during the first year of life.

Main Methods:

  • Collected over 2500 cortisol samples from 300 infants at three distinct ages.
  • Administered four 11:00 AM samples per infant at each age point.
  • Utilized multilevel growth curve modeling to analyze cortisol levels and variability.

Main Results:

  • Presented norm tables with 90% and 95% confidence intervals for infant cortisol.
  • Observed a gradual decrease in basal cortisol levels throughout the infant's first year.
  • Found that intra-individual cortisol variability was high and stable in the first six months, then decreased.

Conclusions:

  • Provides essential reference data for researchers evaluating infant cortisol.
  • Highlights the critical need to consider intra-individual cortisol variability in infant studies.
  • Aids in the accurate assessment of infant physiological responses and development.
Abstract

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