The Use of Hair Cortisol for the Assessment of Stress in Animals

October 2018 in “ General and Comparative Endocrinology ”

Susen Heimbürge, Ellen Kanitz, Winfried Otten

Studysummary This review discusses the use of hair cortisol concentration as a marker for chronic stress and long-term cortisol secretion in animals, highlighting its benefits and the need for standardized sampling protocols. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

The document reviewed the use of hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs) as an indicator of chronic stress in animals, emphasizing its advantages over other biological matrices due to its minimally invasive nature and ability to reflect long-term stress. It noted that HCCs effectively indicated stress when the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis was repeatedly stimulated, although single stress events might not significantly alter HCCs. Various factors, including social environment, nutritional stress, medical disorders, and individual characteristics like age, sex, and hair color, influenced HCCs. The review highlighted the need for standardized sampling protocols and further research to understand cortisol incorporation mechanisms and the impact of different factors on HCCs.

View this study on sciencedirect.com →

Discuss this study in the Community →

Research cited in this study

11 / 11 results

research Predicting Hair Cortisol Levels With Hair Pigmentation Genes: A Possible Hair Pigmentation Bias

23 citations , August 2017 in “Scientific Reports”

Darker hair may lead to higher cortisol readings, suggesting a need to adjust for hair color in studies.

research Factors Influencing Alopecia and Hair Cortisol in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta)

21 citations , June 2016 in “Journal of Medical Primatology”

This study observed that management practices affect alopecia and hair cortisol in captive rhesus monkeys, with variations in these effects between different facilities.

research Influence of External Factors on Hair Cortisol Concentrations

69 citations , May 2016 in “General and Comparative Endocrinology”

This study found that hair cortisol concentrations in sheep were significantly increased by extensive brushing or dexamethasone treatment, suggesting that external factors may affect its reliability as a chronic stress measure.

research Sources of Variation in Hair Cortisol in Wild and Captive Non-Human Primates

44 citations , February 2016 in “Zoology”

This study observed that hair cortisol concentrations in primates are influenced by factors such as age, sex, hair growth rates, and sampling methods, which must be accounted for in research designs.

research Analysis of Hair Cortisol Levels in Captive Chimpanzees: Effect of Various Methods on Cortisol Stability and Variability

47 citations , January 2016 in “MethodsX”

This study found that while the reproducibility of hair cortisol measurements in captive chimpanzees was high, the fineness of homogenized hair, sample weight, and extraction time influenced absolute cortisol concentrations.

research Heavily Hunted Wolves Have Higher Stress and Reproductive Steroids Than Wolves With Lower Hunting Pressure

78 citations , November 2014 in “Functional Ecology”

This study found that wolves in heavily hunted areas of Canada's tundra–taiga exhibited higher levels of stress and reproductive hormones, indicating social instability and increased reproductive effort due to human-caused mortality.

research Short Communication: Factors Affecting Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Lactating Dairy Cows

118 citations , October 2014 in “Journal of Dairy Science”

This study found that in lactating Holstein cows, hair from the tail switch, which grows faster and is more sensitive to cortisol changes, is ideal for measuring hair cortisol levels.

research Quantifying Long-Term Stress in Brown Bears with Hair Cortisol Concentration: A Biomarker That May Be Confounded by Rapid Changes in Response to Capture and Handling

90 citations , July 2014 in “Conservation Physiology”

This study found that hair cortisol concentration in free-ranging brown bears is influenced by handling methods, body condition, and potentially both short- and long-term stressors.

research Hair Loss And Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical Axis Activity In Captive Rhesus Macaques (Macaca Mulatta)

28 citations , May 2014 in “PubMed”

This study found that increased hair cortisol levels, indicating stress, were associated with greater hair loss in captive rhesus macaques, although the causality of this relationship remains unclear.

Hair as a Retrospective Calendar of Cortisol Production—Increased Cortisol Incorporation into Hair in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

research Hair as a Retrospective Calendar of Cortisol Production—Increased Cortisol Incorporation into Hair in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

501 citations , October 2008 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology”

This study suggests that cortisol measured in human hair can effectively reflect increased production for up to six months, but its retrospective accuracy may be limited due to rapid decline in levels.

research Hair Analysis for Veterinary Drug Monitoring in Livestock Production

74 citations , March 2006 in “Journal of Chromatography B”

This review discusses the use of hair analysis for detecting misuse of drugs in livestock, covering hair biology, drug incorporation, sampling methods, and analytical techniques, but reports no new findings.