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Temporal stability of the dex/CRH test in patients with rapid-cycling bipolar I disorder: a pilot study
Stuart Watson1, Jill M Thompson, Navdeep Malik
1Department of Psychiatry, Leazes Wing, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LP, U.K.
Objective:
To examine the hypothesis that hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function is a trait abnormality in bipolar disorder.
Method:
We examined HPA axis function in a pilot study of five patients with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder in both relapse and remission using the dexamethasone/corticotropin releasing hormone (dex/CRH) test.
Results:
The cortisol response to the dex/CRH test correlated significantly between the 2 tests (r = 0.997; p < 0.0005).
Conclusion:
The data suggests that the cortisol response to the dex/CRH test is stable over time and independent of mood state.