Correlation between Salivary Cortisol Level and Sustained Auditory Attention

Background: Cortisol is a corticosteroid present in body fluids and controlled by the Hypothalamic-Hypophysis-Adrenal (HHA) axis, which under equilibrium conditions maintains the circadian rhythm, and is activated in stressful situations. Thus, measurement of salivary cortisol can provide important information about the functioning of the HHA axis under normal and stress conditions, as well as the involvement of cortisol in the mechanisms that determine activity and adaptation to environmental changes. Stress situations can cause cortisol to be produced in greater amounts than usual, and cortisol levels strongly influence brain function, with reports of decreased attention levels. Thus, it was hypothesized that the increase in salivary cortisol levels is correlated with the low test performance that evaluates the attention, in this study the sustained auditory attention.

Objective: to verify a possible correlation between the level of salivary cortisol and sustained auditory attention in children with cleft lip and palate.

Method: Prospective study with 69 children aged 6 to 11 years, with cleft lip and palate, with normal hearing and no history of inattention. The children were submitted to saliva collection for the measurement of cortisol level and to the Sustained Auditory Attention Ability Test (SAAT) to verify sustained attention.

Results: The results demonstrated the absence of statistical significance between the sexes, both for the cortisol level and for the sustained auditory attention. Seven-year-olds had the worst outcomes in sustained attention and the highest levels of salivary cortisol.

Conclusion: A positive correlation with a statistically significant difference between the salivary cortisol level and the auditory attention ability was observed only in children with cleft lip and palate at the age of seven years.