Children's and Adults' Salivary Alpha-Amylase Responses to a Laboratory Stressor and to Verbal Recall of the Stressor

Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) an enzyme produced by the salivary glands increases in response to physical and psychosocial stressors in adults Whether increases in evident among children, though, is less clew: and there is a lack of studies directly comparing children's and adults' sAA responses to an identical stressor In this study. 24 children (9-12 years. 12 female) and 26 adults (18-23 years. 16 finale) were exposed to an identical psychosocial laboratory stressor and a recall interview awarding that stressor alto a 2-week delay Saliva was collected before and 1, 10, 20, and 30 nun alto the stressor/recall interview Among adults, concentrations of sAA increased on both studs days, but similar increases were not defected among Finding suggest developmental differences in sAA reactivity, mid underscore the need to characterize the confluence of elements that will reliably elicit sAA responses to mild stress in youth (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals. Inc Dev Psychobiol 52 598-602, 2010