Saliva test on stress

Scientists say a little drool may help determine a baby8217;s mood. Four independent studies released this month found that a simple test of an infant8217;s saliva can determine the level of alpha amylase

Scientists say a little drool may help determine a baby8217;s mood. Four independent studies released this month found that a simple test of an infant8217;s saliva can determine the level of alpha amylase, an enzyme secreted by the salivary glands that has been linked in previous studies in adults to the sympathetic nervous system8217;s 8216;8216;fight or flight8217;8217; response to stress.

Previous studies have concentrated on alpha amylase as a marker in adults, said Douglas A Granger of Pennsylvania State University, the lead author of the four team studies. 8216;8216;The unique part of what we did was applied this measurement for alpha amylase to determine whether it was stress-responsive in children, which had not been done before,8217;8217; said Granger, an associate professor.

The saliva test, noninvasive surrogate marker, opens new opportunities to characterise individual differences in response to stress that we weren8217;t able to see before. 8216;8216;We think that these differences could prove to be meaningful in understanding behavior,8217;8217; he said.

In addition to mothers and their infants, the multi-university research team led by Granger also studied preschoolers, school-age children and teens. Saliva is collected in a variety of ways, from using a cotton swab on a baby to having a teen drool into a straw. It is frozen and sent to a laboratory for evaluation.

The researchers found a chemical connection between mothers and their babies, Granger said. Mothers and their 6-month-old baby boys were 8220;attuned8221; and had similar alpha amylase levels, he said. The studies found that 4-year-olds with higher alpha amylase levels were more susceptible to illness and had less close relationships with their preschool teachers. The associations between alpha amylase and illness were somewhat stronger for girls than for boys. The four studies were presented in a paper, 8216;8216;Integrating the Measurement of Salivary Alpha-Amylase into Studies of Child Health, Development and Social Relationships8217;8217;, published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships in April. Researchers concluded their 8216;8216;finding is unique and is consistent with volumes of research on the linkages between the brain, behavior and immunity8217;8217;. Curtis L. Taylor