Stress System Activation Analysis in Greek Female Adolescents: A Bioimpedance Study

Abstract

Adolescence is a developmental stage characterized by endocrine-induced physical and psychosocial changes in stress responsiveness. The stress-sensitive cortical and limbic brain regions, which continue to develop during adolescence and young adulthood, may be vulnerable to such changes, yet have not yet been extensively investigated. To examine the activation state of the stress system in adolescence and to show its physiologic relevance, we employed Electrolytic Extracellular Tomography measurement cycles by bioimpedance (TomEEx, BioTekna Co, Venice). Analysis of changes in Basal Extracellular Conductance (BEC) and systemic hydroelectrolytic distribution (DECW + and DECW-) markers were obtained. The statistical analysis was performed using nonparametric tests. The highest possible precision (in statistics) was detected by a meta-analytic tool: Hedge's g correction for small samples bias. Stress system activity, BMI, and BEC, a biomarker of systemic inflammation, were significantly different in adolescents classified according to their depressive symptoms or self-preoccupation (p < 0.05). Importantly, BEC measures were predicted by stress activation system (p < 0.05). The results contribute to the understanding of the mediating processes in different stress activation-related states and inflammation during adolescence.

Keywords: Basal extracellular conductance; Bioimpedance; Emotional laterization; Hedge’s g; Precision medicine; Stress; Systemic hydroelectrolytic distribution.