Publication details
STRES A STRESOVÉ HORMONY U TĚŽKÝCH DUŠEVNÍCH PORUCH: ZAMĚŘENÍ NA SCHIZOFRENII
| Title in English | STRESS AND STRESS HORMONES IN SEVERE MENTAL DISORDERS: A FOCUS ON SCHIZOPHRENIA |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
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| Description | Stress and the hormones involved in the stress response play a significant role in the etiopathogenesis and course of severe mental disorders. At the same time, they may serve as potential biomarkers—both diagnostic and predictive regarding treatment response. While cortisol is the most extensively studied hormone in this context, other stress hormones also play important roles. Research to date has focused primarily on depressive disorders, whereas the significance of these hormones in schizophrenia or borderline personality disorder remains less explored. This project aims to examine cortisol levels in patients with schizophrenia using the non-invasive method of segmented hair cortisol analysis and to assess their relationship with psychopathology, the course of the illness, and treatment response. This method allows for the capture of long-term fluctuations in cortisol levels and their retrospective mapping. It can thus contribute to a better understanding of changes in HPA axis activity across various stages of psychiatric disorders—prior to onset, during the course of the illness, and following treatment. From a clinical perspective, the assessment of hair cortisol could facilitate more objective evaluation of treatment outcomes, relapse prediction, and improved patient stratification. The poster will present preliminary results from a study involving 30 patients with schizophrenia and 30 healthy controls. In addition to standard monitoring, patients with schizophrenia underwent two hair sample collections (at the start of the study and after 4–6 weeks) and a structured clinical assessment—comprising an interview, clinical scales, and questionnaires—at both study entry and completion. |
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