Salivary Cortisol and Alpha-Amylase are Modulated by the Time and Context of Musical Performance

Auditioning can cause considerable apprehension for musicians, typically giving rise to a wide range of physical and mental stress responses irrespective of age, amount of practice and level of experience. However, studies giving clear and replicable information on these experiences, in particular the physiological reactions to such psychosocial stress and the precise timing of that response have been limited. This study sets out to understand musicians' endocrinological reactivity and recovery to performing in low-and high-stress auditions by focusing on the 2 endocrinological pathways: the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic adrenal medullar (SAM). Salivary cortisol (CORT) and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) samples were collected in 11 musicians (6 men, 5 women) 2 times prior to and 4 times after low-and high-stress conditions, and bench-marked against musicians' subjective experience of anxiety. The results reveal peak CORT levels 15 min after the performance, in the high-stress condition. By contrast, the activity in sAA increased from 1 min before to after the performance, before dropping to levels below with musicians' low-stress conditions. This study demonstrates that (a) musical performing affects both the HPA axis and the SAM system and that these responses are modulated by the time and condition of performance, and (b) sAA is an important biomarker in understanding musical performance stress.