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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Collecting Hair Samples for Hair Cortisol Analysis in African Americans
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Measuring cortisol and DHEA in fingernails: a pilot study.

Fay Warnock1, Kevin McElwee, Rubo J Seo

  • 1Developmental Neuroscience and Child Health, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
|February 20, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Nail samples can measure accumulated cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) over time. During stress, the cortisol to DHEA ratio increased significantly in fingernails, suggesting a potential new biomarker.

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Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Psychoneuroendocrinology
  • Biomarker Discovery

Background:

  • Cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) abnormalities are linked to psychiatric disorders.
  • Conventional hormone level analysis (saliva, urine, blood) offers short-term insights.
  • Fingernails passively incorporate endogenous hormones during keratinization, reflecting prolonged secretion.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To pilot the measurement of cortisol and DHEA levels in fingernails.
  • To assess fingernail hormone levels as a potential indicator of accumulated steroid hormone secretion over extended periods.
  • To explore a novel method for assessing long-term hormonal changes relevant to psychiatric research.

Main Methods:

  • Collected fingernail samples from 33 university students (18-24 years) twice during a semester.

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Last Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Collecting Hair Samples for Hair Cortisol Analysis in African Americans
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  • Scheduled sample collection to capture periods of varying student stress levels.
  • Analyzed nail cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels.

    • Main Results:

    • A significant increase in the cortisol:DHEA ratio was observed during periods of higher stress (P = 0.0002).
    • This ratio increase was driven by a significant decrease in DHEA levels (P = 0.004).
    • Cortisol levels showed a numerical increase, though not statistically significant (P = 0.256).

    Conclusions:

    • Fingernail analysis is a viable method for measuring cortisol and DHEA.
    • This technique may serve as a biomarker for environmental stress.
    • Further validation is needed, but this method holds promise for studying healthy and patient populations.