Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds
Published on: November 6, 2015
Technical and clinical aspects of cortisol as a biochemical marker of chronic stress
Do Yup Lee1, Eosu Kim2, Man Ho Choi3
1Department of Bio and Fermentation Convergence Technology, Kookmin University, Seoul 136-702, Korea.
Abstract:
Stress is now recognized as a universal premorbid factor associated with many risk factors of various chronic diseases. Acute stress may induce an individual's adaptive response to environmental demands. However, chronic, excessive stress causes cumulative negative impacts on health outcomes through "allostatic load". Thus, monitoring the quantified levels of long-term stress mediators would provide a timely opportunity for prevention or earlier intervention of stress-related chronic illnesses. Although either acute or chronic stress could be quantified through measurement of changes in physiological parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of various metabolic hormones, it is still elusive to interpret whether the changes in circulating levels of stress mediators such as cortisol can reflect the acute, chronic, or diurnal variations. Both serum and salivary cortisol levels reveal acute changes at a single point in time, but the overall long-term systemic cortisol exposure is difficult to evaluate due to circadian variations and its protein-binding capacity. Scalp hair has a fairy predictable growth rate of approximately 1 cm/month, and the most 1 cm segment approximates the last month's cortisol production as the mean value. The analysis of cortisol in hair is a highly promising technique for the retrospective assessment of chronic stress.
Related Concept Videos
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
Cushing Syndrome I: Introduction
Cushing Syndrome II: Pathophysiology
Physiological Foundation of Stress
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...
Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle
Hormones of the Adrenal Glands
The adrenal cortex, a powerhouse of hormone synthesis, generates over two dozen corticosteroid hormones. The zona glomerulosa produces mineralocorticoids, exemplified by aldosterone, influencing the electrolyte composition of body fluids. The synthesis of glucocorticoids such as cortisol and...

