Maternal Influence on Child HPA Axis: A Prospective Study of Cortisol Levels in Hair

Abstract

Correlation between hair cortisol levels in mothers and their children suggests a heritable trait or maternal calibration of the child's hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis. Cortisol output gradually stabilizes and seems to have a stable trait. Cortisol concentration in hair has the potential to become a biomarker of prolonged stress, especially applicable as a noninvasive method when studying how stress influences children's health.