Assessment of the cortisol awakening response: Expert consensus guidelines.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Expert consensus guidelines and methodological review without primary data
PubMed 26563991 · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.10.010
What was done
An expert panel initiated by the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology reviewed methodological factors influencing the measurement of the cortisol awakening response (CAR) from self-collected domestic saliva samples and developed consensus guidelines for research practice.
What was found
The abstract reports no empirical data or quantitative metrics. The panel outlined consensus recommendations covering objective control of sampling adherence and timing accuracy, standardized participant instructions, covariate accounting, sampling protocol design, data quantification strategies, and reporting and interpretation standards.
Why it matters
Because CAR assessment typically relies on unsupervised home saliva collection where non-adherence severely distorts results, these guidelines establish a standard methodology to improve data reliability and cross-study comparability in psychoneuroendocrinology.
Limits
The document represents expert consensus rather than a systematic review or empirical experimental study. Specific consensus methodology (such as voting thresholds or Delphi processes) and the number of literature sources evaluated are not detailed in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Under the cortisol awakening response, cortisol levels peak around waking and then decline steadily over the remainder of the day.