Hair Cortisol in Drug-Naïve First-Episode Individuals with Psychosis

    January 2016 in “ Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry ”
    Elvis Henrique Santos Andrade, Lucas B. Rizzo, Cristiano Noto, Vanessa Ota, Ary Gadelha, Ledo Daruy-Filho, Brazílio de C. Tasso, Rodrigo B. Mansur, Quirino Cordeiro, Síntia Belangero, Rodrigo A. Bressan, Rodrigo Grassi‐Oliveira, Elisa Brietzke
    TLDR First-episode psychosis patients have higher hair cortisol levels, indicating early stress response issues.
    The study examined hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) in 24 drug-naïve first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients compared to 27 healthy controls, finding that HCC was elevated in FEP patients. This suggested that abnormalities in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis might begin before full clinical presentation of psychosis. The study used hair samples to measure cortisol levels over three months, revealing that changes in HCC correlated with the severity of psychopathology. The findings indicated that HCC could serve as a long-term biomarker for cortisol secretion, providing insights into the stress response system's role in psychosis. However, the study was limited by its small sample size and potential inaccuracies in the reported duration of untreated psychosis, highlighting the need for further research.
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