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Cortisol as a marker of stress

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Abstract

The review considers the roles cortisol (Crt), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and DHEA sulfate (DHEA-S) play in the stress response. Age-related, sex-related, and circadian fluctuations in normal conditions and in acute or chronic stress are described for Crt, DHEA, and DHEA-S. The main techniques used to estimate the Crt level in the blood, urine, and saliva are described, and approaches to the interpretation of the results discussed. Special attention is paid to Crt assays in anthropological and psychological studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute and Museum of Anthropology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    A. I. Kozlov

  2. Perm State Humanitarian Pedagogical University, Perm, Russia

    A. I. Kozlov

  3. Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia

    M. A. Kozlova

  4. Institute of Developmental Physiology, Russian Academy of Education, Moscow, Russia

    M. A. Kozlova

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Original Russian Text © A.I. Kozlov, M.A. Kozlova, 2014, published in Fiziologiya Cheloveka, 2014, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 123–136.

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Kozlov, A.I., Kozlova, M.A. Cortisol as a marker of stress. Hum Physiol 40, 224–236 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0362119714020091

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