SynthesisBiology of sex differences2017
Gender-specific differences in hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis activity during childhood: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Biology of sex differences, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 83 citations in OpenAlex.
- Is HPA axis reactivity in childhood gender-specific? A systematic review.Biology of sex differences · 2017Pooled it
- Hair Cortisol in Twins: Heritability and Genetic Overlap with Psychological Variables and Stress-System Genes.Scientific reports · 2017Trial
- Relative Leukocyte Telomere Length Is Shorter in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes: Screening of Basic Psychosocial Aspects.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- The Role of Parenting and Cortisol in Children's Early Peer Relationships.Child psychiatry and human development · 2026Article
- Evolved birth physiology meets modern birth practice: Sustained effects of planned cesarean delivery on child hair cortisol in Brazil.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Impact of glucocorticoid therapy on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in pediatric nephrotic syndrome: A narrative review.World journal of clinical pediatrics · 2025Review
- A Community-Engaged Approach for Assessment of Cortisol Dynamic Range and Multilevel Chronic Stress in African Americans: FAITH! Heart Health+ Ancillary Study.Journal of participatory medicine · 2025Article
- Cortisol Reactivity as a Moderator in the Relationship Between Home Chaos and Conduct Problems: Gender-Specific Evidence from Chinese Preschoolers.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2025Article
- Restoration of typical HPA-SAM co-activation following psychosocial intervention among preadolescent youth living in poverty.Development and psychopathology · 2025Article
- Sex and age differences in cortisol levels during glucagon stimulation test in children.BMC pediatrics · 2025Article
- Sex-dependent biobehavioural responses to transgenerational maternal stress: evidence of stress resilience and vulnerability in the F3 generation.Environmental epigenetics · 2025Article
- Review
- Parent-Child Separation and Diurnal Cortisol Rhythms Among Left-Behind Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Sex.Journal of youth and adolescence · 2023Article
- The stress of losing sleep: Sex-specific neurobiological outcomes.Neurobiology of stress · 2023Article
- Protocol and biomarker strategy for a multi-site randomized controlled trial examining biological mechanisms and dosing of active music engagement in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoma and parents.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2023Article
- Do Cortisol and Dehydroepiandrosterone Influence Motivational Factors for Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Female Adolescents?Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- The Perceived Stress Scale for Kids (PeSSKi): Initial development of a brief measure for children aged 7-11 years.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2023Article
- Toward reframing brain-social dynamics: current assumptions and future challenges.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Review
- The influence of repeated pain exposure on morning salivary cortisol in term and preterm neonates.Pediatric endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism · 2023Article
- Salivary Cortisol and Sustained Auditory Attention in Children with and without Cleft Lip and Palate.International archives of otorhinolaryngology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGender-specific differences in hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity have been postulated to emerge during puberty. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to test the hypothesis that gender-specific differences in HPA axis activity are already present in childhood.
methodsFrom inception to January 2016, PubMed and EMBASE.com were searched for studies that assessed non-stimulated cortisol in serum or saliva or cortisol in 24-h urine in healthy males and females aged ≤18 years. Studies that conform with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement were reported. Standardized mean differences (95% CIs) were calculated and analyzed using fixed-effect meta-analysis stratified for age: <8 years (prepubertal) and 8-18 years (peri-/postpubertal). For comparison, we ran the same analyses using random-effects models.
resultsTwo independent assessors selected 413 out of 6158 records (7%) for full-text screening, of which 79 articles were included. Of these, 58 (with data on 16,551 subjects) were included in the meta-analysis. Gender differences in cortisol metabolism differed per age group. Boys aged <8 years had 0.18 (0.06; 0.30) nmol/L higher serum and 0.21 (0.05; 0.37) nmol/L higher salivary cortisol levels, while between 8 and 18 years, boys had 0.34 (0.28; 0.40) nmol/L lower serum and 0.42 (0.38; 0.47) nmol/L lower salivary cortisol levels. In 24-h urine, cortisol was consistently higher in boys, being 0.34 (0.05; 0.64) and 0.32 (0.17; 0.47) μg/24 h higher in the <8- and 8-18-year groups, respectively. However, gender-differences in serum cortisol <8 years and between 8 and 18 years were absent when using random-effects models.
conclusionsGender differences in cortisol metabolism are already present in childhood, with higher salivary cortisol in boys aged <8 years compared to girls. This pattern was reversed after the age of 8 years. In contrast, the gender-specific difference in cortisol production as assessed through 24-h urine did not change with age. Although differences were small, and analyses of gender differences in serum cortisol were inconclusive, they might contribute to gender-specific origins of health and disease.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.