Alpha-amylase

Alpha-amylase is a hormone that controls the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic / parasympathetic). In its importance for the autonomic nervous system, it corresponds to that of cortisol for the HPA axis.

Alpha-amylase levels correlate with changes in cortisol levels.¹

α-Amylase is secreted from the parotid gland (parotid gland, parotid gland or parotid gland) during adrenergic activity. α-Amylase is a marker of stress-induced adrenergic activity² and of mean arterial pressure (MAP). Mean arterial pressure is the product of cardiac output and total peripheral resistance, reflecting organ perfusion. It represents a physiological measure of sympathetic activation.³

α-Amylase increases more rapidly than salivary cortisol during psychosocial stress.⁴ It is possible that only salivary alpha-amylase, but not blood alpha-amylase levels, are increased in response to an acute stressor, whereas both blood and salivary alpha-amylase levels respond in unison to pharmacological treatment. These differences do not exist for cortisol.

Alpha-amylase stress response is significantly increased in subjects with childhood trauma.⁵

Of 62 ADHD-affected children, the ADHD-HI type showed an identical cortisol level before venipuncture as nonaffected individuals, whereas the ADHD-I subtype showed an elevated cortisol level even before venipuncture compared with nonaffected individuals. Since basal cortisol levels are lower in both ADHD-I and ADHD-HI affected individuals than in nonaffected individuals, this could be an anxiety response in anticipation of the stressor.¹ The same pattern was shown with respect to alpha-amylase as a representative of the vegetative nervous system.

Prolonged treatment with stimulants reduces cortisol and alpha-amylase levels in ADHD sufferers.⁶

The basal alpha-amylase progression corresponds to that of cortisol.

In boys with externalizing problems, basal cortisol levels also follow the typical (decreasing) diurnal course, sometimes starting from a lower morning level. In contrast, oppositional defiant behavior (ODD) or ADHD do not influence the cortisol diurnal course.⁷
However, externalizing behavior disorders in boys correlated with significantly decreased alpha-amylase levels.⁷

Subjects with a COMT Val158Val or a Met158Met gene polymorphism showed lower alpha-amylase levels than subjects with a COMT Val158Met gene polymorphism.⁷