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Salivary Cortisol: A Tool for Biobehavioral Research in Children

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Time of Collection

Because there are a number of factors that affect HPA axis function and subsequent cortisol secretion, there are several important issues to be aware of when measuring salivary cortisol in children. As mentioned above, because cortisol is secreted in a diurnal pattern, it is imperative to consider time of day in reference to sample collection and to have consistency across subjects. Timing of collection is also relevant depending on whether one intends to measure differences in diurnal pattern

Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Child Health and Development at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.

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References (18)

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