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Effects of early childhood trauma on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function in patients with Chronic

Stefan Kempke1, Patrick Luyten2, Sarah De Coninck3

  • 1Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Psychoneuroendocrinology
|December 3, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Early childhood emotional neglect is linked to reduced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) patients. This suggests a potential neuroendocrine stress response system dysfunction in some CFS individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Psychotraumatology
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome research

Background:

  • Limited research exists on early childhood trauma's impact on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).
  • This study is the first to examine early trauma, cortisol activity, and stress reactivity in CFS patients.
  • The role of self-critical perfectionism (SCP) as a mediator was also explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between early childhood trauma and HPA axis dysfunction in CFS.
  • To assess cortisol activity and stress reactivity in relation to trauma history.
  • To determine if self-critical perfectionism mediates the link between trauma and neurobiological stress responses.

Main Methods:

  • 40 female CFS patients provided daily saliva cortisol samples for 7 days.
  • Cortisol awakening response and area under the curve were calculated.
  • The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) assessed cortisol stress reactivity, alongside childhood trauma and SCP questionnaires.

Main Results:

  • No significant association was found between overall early childhood trauma and 7-day cortisol levels.
  • Emotional neglect showed a significant negative correlation with cortisol reactivity during the TSST.
  • Self-critical perfectionism did not significantly mediate the trauma-reactivity association.

Conclusions:

  • Emotional neglect is associated with blunted HPA axis reactivity in CFS patients.
  • This finding supports the hypothesis that CFS may involve a loss of neuroendocrine stress response adaptability in a subset of patients.
Abstract

Keywords:
CortisolEarly adversityHypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axisStressTrauma

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