Claim: Cortisol levels in children's hair may reveal future mental health risk
Verdict: REFUTES

Retrieved passages:
title: Stress in early childhood
text: cortisol levels. Some children manifest low levels of cortisol production, and some experience high cortisol levels. The children with higher levels of glucocorticoids are prone to have the most problems with physical, social, mental, and motor development. Research has not yet determined whether these effects are permanent, however, it has been found that children experiencing stressful situations after the first four to six months of life endure from intellectual and social problems. Also, persistent stress in young children makes the stress regulation mechanisms deviate from normal coping mechanisms. For children experiencing good or tolerable stress, stress instigates an increase in

title: Bioarchaeology
text: resume, resulting in a line of increased mineral density that will be visible in a radiograph. If there is not recovery from the stressor, no line will be formed. The stress hormone cortisol is deposited in hair as it grows. This has been used successfully to detect fluctuating levels of stress in the later lifespan of mummies. Examining the effects that activities and workload has upon the skeleton allows the archaeologist to examine who was doing what kinds of labor, and how activities were structured within society. The division of labor within the household may be divided according to gender

title: Voting behavior
text: hormone," were significantly higher immediately before entering a polling place than personal baseline levels measured on a similar, non-election day. This may be significant for voting choices since cortisol is known to affect memory consolidation, memory retrieval, and reward- and risk-seeking behavior. Acute stress may disrupt decision making and affect cognition. Additionally, research done on voters in Ann Arbor and Durham after the US 2008 elections showed partial evidence that voting for the losing candidate may lead to increased cortisol levels relative to levels among voters who chose the winning candidate. The use of emotional appeals in political campaigns to

title: Human hair color
text: or high-level politicians such as Bill Clinton or Barack Obama. There is some evidence for chronic stress causing premature achromotrichia, but no definite link has been established. It is known that the stress hormone "cortisol" accumulates in human hair over time, but whether this has any effect on hair color has not yet been resolved. Albinism is a genetic abnormality in which little or no pigment is found in human hair, eyes, and skin. The hair is often white or pale blond. However, it can be red, darker blond, light brown, or rarely, even dark brown. Vitiligo is a patchy

title: Barbara A. Cornblatt
text: were five times as likely to develop schizophrenia. Cortisol Level and Risk for Psychosis: Researchers tested the cortisol contents of saliva in 256 individuals. It was discovered that patients that were at a higher risk of Psychosis, or already had the diagnosis, had increased cortisol levels. This study suggests the need for future research focusing on the hormone levels of individuals with, or at risk of, Psychosis. Barbara A. Cornblatt Barbara A. Cornblatt is a professor of psychiatry and molecular medicine at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine. Cornblatt is known for research on the treatment and cause of serious mental

title: Alcohol and cortisol
text: to compare long-term cortisol levels in alcoholics, abstinent alcoholics, and non-alcoholics. One recent study revealed that alcoholics had three to four times higher hair cortisol concentrations than abstinent alcoholics or non-alcoholics (consistent with previous research showing periods of alcohol consumption are associated with heightened cortisol levels). Abstinent alcoholics and non-alcoholics had the same low levels of cortisol, suggesting that cortisol levels eventually return to normal after extended cessation. Alcohol and cortisol Recent research has looked into the effects of alcohol on the amount of cortisol that is produced in the human body. Continuous consumption of alcohol over an extended period

title: Stress in early childhood
text: feedback regulation of the HPA system, and decreased sensitivity of the adrenal cortex to ACTH. Also, the availability of adult support for young children helps safeguard the activity of the HPA stress system. Many experiences can cause structural changes in the HPA system. The effects of repeated increases in cortisol levels have been researched in many animal studies, but these outcomes are also representative of humans, including young children. It has been determined that when glucocorticoids, including cortisol, are placed into various parts of the brain for many days, CRH is produced in increased quantities. In turn, this causes fear

title: Foster care
text: affected by selection bias, and that foster care has little effect on behavioral problems. Foster children have elevated levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, in comparison to children raised by their biological parents. Elevated cortisol levels can compromise the immune system. (Harden BJ, 2004). Most of the processes involved in healthy neurodevelopment are predicated upon the establishment of close nurturing relationships and environmental stimulation. Negative environmental influences during this critical period of brain development can have lifelong consequences. Children in foster care have a higher incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In one study, 60% of children in foster care

title: Stress in early childhood
text: systems, which can lead to diminished physical and mental health throughout a person's lifetime. Extreme exposure to such toxic stress can result in the stress response system becoming more highly sensitized to stressful events, producing increased wear and tear on physical systems through over-activation of the body's stress response. This wear and tear increases the later risk of various physical and mental illnesses. In children experiencing persistent toxic stress, functioning occurs in a fear state and this becomes habitual. Many times, cortisol levels do not reach basal ranges after the situation has been mitigated. With chronic toxic stress, children undergo

title: Social stress
text: Maltreated children show higher morning cortisol values than non-maltreated children. Their HPA systems also fail to recover after a stressful social interaction with their caregiver. Over time, low-SES children show progressively greater output of cortisol. Although these studies point to a disrupted HPA system accounting for the link between social stress and physical health, they did not include disease outcomes. Nevertheless, a dysfunctional HPA response to stress is thought to increase risk for developing or exacerbating diseases such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. Inflammation is an immune response that is critical to fighting infections and repairing injured tissue.

title: Suggestibility
text: and scoring higher in cognitive functioning were related to fewer inaccuracies. In addition, cortisol level and trauma symptoms in children who reported more dissociative tendencies were associated with increased memory error. This again proves how a stressful or traumatic experience in young children can be affected by suggestibility. It is claimed that sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociative identity disorder (DID) are particularly suggestible. While it is true that DID sufferers tend to score to the higher end of the hypnotizability scale, there have not been enough studies done to support the claim of increased suggestibility. Aspects of crowd

title: Stress management
text: measured to test stress levels, and changes in stress levels. A digital thermometer can be used to evaluate changes in skin temperature, which can indicate activation of the fight-or-flight response drawing blood away from the extremities. Cortisol is the main hormone released during a stress response and measuring cortisol from hair will give a 60- to 90-day baseline stress level of an individual. This method of measuring stress is currently the most popular method in the clinic. Stress management has physiological and immune benefits. Positive outcomes are observed using a combination of non-drug interventions: Acute stress is the most common

title: Alcohol and cortisol
text: overnight urinary cortisol levels were taken from people who regularly drank a large amount of alcohol versus a small amount of alcohol. People who drank more alcohol had higher cortisol levels and lower heart rate variability (which is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, ANS), suggesting a connection between the HPA axis and the ANS. People who drank more alcohol had higher blood pressure and difficulty sleeping, indicative of heightened cortisol levels. Recent technology has allowed researchers to measure cortisol levels in human hair (showing cumulative cortisol exposure over extended periods of time). This method of measurement has been used

title: Cortisol
text: have been observed in connection with abnormal ACTH levels, mood disorders such as major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, psychological stress, and physiological stressors such as hypoglycemia, illness, fever, trauma, surgery, fear, pain, physical exertion, or temperature extremes. Cortisol levels may also differ for individuals with autism or Asperger's syndrome. Also, significant individual variation is seen, although a given person tends to have consistent rhythms. During human pregnancy, increased fetal production of cortisol between weeks 30 and 32 initiates production of fetal lung surfactant to promote maturation of the lungs. In fetal lambs, glucocorticoids (principally cortisol) increase after about day 130,

title: Stress in early childhood
text: and prolonged stress responses from the HPA system may cause detrimental results. When the body undergoes a stressful situation, the stress hormone cortisol is released. Cortisol helps the body prepare for stressful and dangerous situation. It gives a quick burst of energy, heightened memory and lower sensitivity to pain, among other things. When cortisol is present in the body at high levels and for extended periods of time, however, the body’s immune response may be suppressed. This leaves the developing bodies of children extremely vulnerable to damage and illness. Cortisol is usually bound to proteins in adults. The protein is

title: Stress in early childhood
text: a part of self-regulation, and these children are not able to regulate their behaviors due to the high cortisol levels. Therefore, memory, attention-span, and self-regulation are influenced by cortisol production. Many children experience stress for prolonged amounts of time. Usually these factors are toxic stress and can be due to internal or external stressors. If a child has a sufficient support system, then he or she can display resilience. Often, children do not have skills to be resilient themselves, and they do not have adults for constant loving care. In these situations, children experiencing stress exhibit persistent effects of varying

title: Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis
text: also show abnormally high blood glucose levels and have fewer glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampus. In humans, prolonged maternal stress during gestation is associated with mild impairment of intellectual activity and language development in their children, and with behaviour disorders such as attention deficits, schizophrenia, anxiety and depression; self-reported maternal stress is associated with a higher irritability, emotional and attentional problems. There is growing evidence that prenatal stress can affect HPA regulation in humans. Children who were stressed prenatally may show altered cortisol rhythms. For example, several studies have found an association between maternal depression during pregnancy and childhood cortisol

title: Impact of war on children
text: adrenaline and cortisol help prepare the body for coping with stressors, when they are used to prolonged and uncontrollable stress, this stress response system can lead to impairments in both mental and physical health. Lack of basic resources may also impede child brain development. Childhood socioeconomic status influences neural development and affects cognitive ability and mental health through adult life. Especially, poverty is regarded to deteriorate cognitive capacity. Many studies have shown that poverty in early childhood can be harmful in that poor families lack time and financial resources to invest in promoting child development. This suggests that the serious

title: Stress in early childhood
text: cortisol levels. When the situation is resolved, cortisol levels will return to normal. Toxic stress is a term coined by pediatrician Jack P. Shonkoff of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University to refer to chronic, excessive stress that exceeds a child's ability to cope, especially in the absence of supportive caregiving from adults. Learning to cope with mild to moderate stress is a part of normal development in children; however, extreme, long-lasting stress in the absence of supportive relationships to buffer the effects of a heightened stress response can produce damage and weakening of bodily and brain

title: Stress in early childhood
text: that may be indicative of stress in children are rashes on skin and skin diseases such as eczema, acne and hair loss, worsening asthma, insomnia or hypersomnia, frequent headaches, muscle aches, vomiting, constipation and diarrhea. Extreme fatigue, chest pain, racing heartbeat, shaking, cold and clammy hands and feet, frequently ill, and even ulcers are some other physical symptoms manifested due to stress. When children cannot handle stress they may begin to develop emotional problems. They may become severely depressed, lacking in energy and motivation. They may develop strange personality traits such as violence and disobedience. Personality disorders may arise as