Longitudinal associations between childhood salivary cortisol levels and prodromal symptoms in late adolescence: Findings from a high-risk cohort (Conference Abstract)

Individuals with established psychosis are characterised by a distinct pattern of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunctions which include both elevated daytime cortisol levels and a blunted cortisol awakening response (CAR). Whilst these patterns of dysfunction have also been observed among those at elevated risk for the disorder, longitudinal studies are scarce. As such, the relevance of these HPA axis abnormalities for the progression of psychopathology in high-risk populations is unknown. Utilising data from a well-characterised, longitudinal cohort of youth at elevated risk for schizophrenia and their typically-developing peers (The Child Health and Development Study), we aimed to investigate the extent to which HPA axis function determined in childhood is a significant predictor of putative prodromal status and psychopathology in late adolescence/early adulthood