A Reliable Procedure for Measuring Cortisol Levels in Rhesus Macaque Hair Samples

    January 2009
    Chunlu Li, Dongdong Qin, Xiaoli Feng, Bo Zhang, Shangchuan Yang, Xintian Hu, Yuanye Ma
    TLDR The procedure reliably measures cortisol in rhesus macaque hair.
    The study developed a reliable procedure for measuring cortisol levels in rhesus macaque hair samples, using liquid nitrogen to deep freeze samples before powdering. It involved 3 treatment groups: a blank group (n=3), an old tube group (n=10), and a new tube group (n=10). Results showed no significant difference between old and new tubes, and a high correlation between repeated measures of the same individuals (r=0.893, P=0.000). Additionally, hair cortisol concentrations were moderately correlated with the number of intense aggressions received (r=0.591, P=0.008). The procedure was deemed reliable as PBS and tube type did not significantly affect results.
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