Diurnal and stress-reactive dehydroepiandrosterone levels and telomere length in youth

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Abstract

The current investigation examined the association between the aging-related biomarkers dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and telomere length (TL) in community-recruited African-American youth. The examination of DHEA included stress reactive, basal and diurnal sampling, in order to elucidate the underlying physiological process that may overlap with TL. One hundred and two participants completed the Trier Social Stressor Test for children (TSST-C). TL was obtained from all youth from buccal swabs on the same day as the TSST-C. Saliva samples from 83 participants were obtained over the course of two additional days to measure waking and diurnal levels of DHEA. DHEA diurnal slope was a robust predictor of TL ( B=0.516, P<0.05), while other DHEA values were not significantly associated with TL. This study is one of the first studies to examine basal, diurnal and reactivity measurements of DHEA in youth. Furthermore, this is the first study, to our knowledge, to demonstrate a positive association between DHEA, a putative anti-aging hormone, and TL, an indicator of cellular aging.

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Most cited references 28

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A self-report measure of pubertal status: Reliability, validity, and initial norms.

A Petersen, L. Crockett, M. Richards … (1988)

Puberty is a central process in the complex set of changes that constitutes the transition from childhood to adolescence. Research on the role of pubertal change in this transition has been impeded by the difficulty of assessing puberty in ways acceptable to young adolescents and others involved. Addressing this problem, this paper describes and presents norms for a selfreport measure of pubertal status. The measure was used twice annually over a period of three years in a longitudinal study of 335 young adolescent boys and girls. Data on a longitudinal subsample of 253 subjects are reported. The scale shows good reliability, as indicated by coefficient alpha. In addition, several sources of data suggest that these reports are valid. The availability of such a measure is important for studies, such as those based in schools, in which more direct measures of puberty may not be possible.

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Telomere length in early life predicts lifespan.

B. J. Heidinger, J. D. Blount, W Boner … (2012)

The attrition of telomeres, the ends of eukaryote chromosomes, is thought to play an important role in cell deterioration with advancing age. The observed variation in telomere length among individuals of the same age is therefore thought to be related to variation in potential longevity. Studies of this relationship are hampered by the time scale over which individuals need to be followed, particularly in long-lived species where lifespan variation is greatest. So far, data are based either on simple comparisons of telomere length among different age classes or on individuals whose telomere length is measured at most twice and whose subsequent survival is monitored for only a short proportion of the typical lifespan. Both approaches are subject to bias. Key studies, in which telomere length is tracked from early in life, and actual lifespan recorded, have been lacking. We measured telomere length in zebra finches (n = 99) from the nestling stage and at various points thereafter, and recorded their natural lifespan (which varied from less than 1 to almost 9 y). We found telomere length at 25 d to be a very strong predictor of realized lifespan (P < 0.001); those individuals living longest had relatively long telomeres at all points at which they were measured. Reproduction increased adult telomere loss, but this effect appeared transient and did not influence survival. Our results provide the strongest evidence available of the relationship between telomere length and lifespan and emphasize the importance of understanding factors that determine early life telomere length.

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Neurobiological and neuropsychiatric effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulfate (DHEAS).

Nicole Maninger, Owen M. Wolkowitz, Victor Reus … (2009)

DHEA and DHEAS are steroids synthesized in human adrenals, but their function is unclear. In addition to adrenal synthesis, evidence also indicates that DHEA and DHEAS are synthesized in the brain, further suggesting a role of these hormones in brain function and development. Despite intensifying research into the biology of DHEA and DHEAS, many questions concerning their mechanisms of action and their potential involvement in neuropsychiatric illnesses remain unanswered. We review and distill the preclinical and clinical data on DHEA and DHEAS, focusing on (i) biological actions and putative mechanisms of action, (ii) differences in endogenous circulating concentrations in normal subjects and patients with neuropsychiatric diseases, and (iii) the therapeutic potential of DHEA in treating these conditions. Biological actions of DHEA and DHEAS include neuroprotection, neurite growth, and antagonistic effects on oxidants and glucocorticoids. Accumulating data suggest abnormal DHEA and/or DHEAS concentrations in several neuropsychiatric conditions. The evidence that DHEA and DHEAS may be fruitful targets for pharmacotherapy in some conditions is reviewed.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Endocr Connect

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Endocr Connect

Journal ID (hwp): EC

Title: Endocrine Connections

Publisher: Bioscientifica Ltd (Bristol )

ISSN (Electronic): 2049-3614

Publication date Collection: May 2016

Publication date (Electronic): 01 May 2016

Volume: 5

Issue: 3

Pages: 107-114

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Human Development and Family Studies Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA

[2 ]Tulane University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Author notes

Correspondence should be addressed to S S Drury; Email: sdrury@ 123456tulane.edu

Article

Publisher ID: EC160007

DOI: 10.1530/EC-16-0007

PMC ID: 5002957

PubMed ID: 27221260

SO-VID: 5f4bc540-db55-46a6-b00c-9ed14cea5192

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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Diurnal and stress-reactive dehydroepiandrosterone levels and telomere length in youth

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Bioscientifica Open Endocrinology

Most cited references 28

A self-report measure of pubertal status: Reliability, validity, and initial norms.

Telomere length in early life predicts lifespan.

Neurobiological and neuropsychiatric effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulfate (DHEAS).

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