ArticleBrain and behavior2025
The Relationship Between Metacognitive Beliefs and Salivary Cortisol, BDNF, and NDNF Levels: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Article in Brain and behavior, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Object-Control Skills and Cortisol Response During Physical Education Lessons in Primary School Children.The Journal of school health · 2026Article
- Recitation Mode Is Associated With Salivary CREB and Cortisol Responses during Qur'anic Recitation.Brain and behavior · 2026Article
- The Relationship Between Metacognitive Beliefs and Salivary Cortisol, BDNF, and NDNF Levels: A Cross-Sectional Study.Brain and behavior · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
purposeThe main objective of this study is to non-invasively investigate the relationship between metacognitive beliefs and cortisol, the primary stress output of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as well as neurotrophic factors associated with neuroplasticity brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neuron-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF and NDNF). Within this framework, the hypotheses that negative metacognitions would be associated with increased cortisol and decreased BDNF levels, and that cortisol might play a mediating role in this relationship, were tested.
methodThe study was designed in a cross-sectional model with 60 university students. Participants' metacognitive beliefs were measured using the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30). Salivary cortisol, BDNF, and NDNF levels were analyzed using the ELISA method. Pearson correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used for data analysis. FINDING: The results showed a significant positive relationship between the total metacognition score and cortisol (r = 0.589, p < 0.01) and a strong negative relationship between cortisol and BDNF (r = -0.662, p < 0.01). Hierarchical regression analysis supported a partial mediation model, indicating that dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs have both a significant direct negative association with BDNF and an indirect association mediated by cortisol. In the final model, both metacognition (β = -0.298, p < 0.05) and cortisol (β = -0.281, p < 0.05) were significant factors associated with lower BDNF levels. NDNF showed a positive relationship with BDNF (r = 0.571) but not with other variables.
conclusionThese findings point to a psychobiological model where dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs are linked to suppressed neuroprotective mechanisms like BDNF, both directly and indirectly through HPA axis activation. The results shed light on the potential neurobiological mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of metacognitive therapies.
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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.