Assessment of Salivary Hormones

" Hormones " are messenger molecules that are released by specialized neurons in the brain and by glands into the bloodstream, and that carry a signal at the speed of blood to other parts of the body. Which specific responses they trigger in target organs depends on the receptors involved and the functions of the organs. For instance, the peptide hormone arginine vasopressin (AVP) regulates water retention in the body when it binds to receptors in the kidneys, but enhances episodic memory when it binds to receptors in the brain (e.g., Beckwith, Petros, Bergloff, & Staebler, 1987). Thus one hormone can drive several different physiological and psychological functions through its effects on several target organs. Generally, two broad classes of hormonal effects on physiology and behavior are differentiated. " Organizational effects " are lasting influences that hormones exert on the organism, thus changing its shape and functional properties in subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) ways. Orga