Fig. 1: Study plan.
From: Cell-free DNA release following psychosocial and physical stress in women and men
Blood and saliva samples were collected at each time point (T1-T4). Participants were also asked to complete the Social Emotional Response Scale (SERS) questionnaire four times during each testing session. The time points were as follows: T1 = baseline (−2 min), T2 = immediately after the stressor (+2 min), T3 = anticipated peak of cf-nDNA and cf-mtDNA increase (+15 min), and T4 = expected return to baseline (+45 min). To account for the circadian rhythm of cortisol, all tests were conducted at 2 p.m.
