Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Pathophysiology of hypercortisolism in depression.

B J Carroll1, F Cassidy, D Naftolowitz

  • 1Pacific Behavioral Research Foundation, Carmel, CA, USA. bcarroll@redshift.com

Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. Supplementum
|February 7, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A proof of concept case series of botulinum toxin a treatment for ischemic feet due to Raynaud's phenomenon.

Journal of plastic, reconstructive & aesthetic surgery : JPRAS·2026
Same author

Sulodexide in venous disease.

Journal of thrombosis and haemostasis : JTH·2018
Same author

Detection and epidemiology of plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamase producing Escherichia coli in two Irish tertiary care hospitals.

Journal of global antimicrobial resistance·2016
Same author

A genome-wide association study of antidepressant response in Koreans.

Translational psychiatry·2015
Same author

Clinical science and biomarkers: against RDoC.

Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica·2015
Same author

A genome-wide association study of antidepressant response in Koreans.

Translational psychiatry·2015

Depression involves increased adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) secretion, regardless of cortisol levels. Hypercortisolemia in depression stems from adrenal changes causing irregular cortisol release, indicating physiological stress.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Psychiatry
  • Biomarker Research

Background:

  • Hypercortisolemia is observed in depression but its underlying mechanisms are debated.
  • Understanding the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dynamics is crucial for depression research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the dynamics of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol secretion in depressed patients with and without hypercortisolemia.
  • To elucidate the role of HPA axis regulation in different subtypes of depression.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized deconvolution analysis for 24-hour pulsatile secretion patterns of ACTH and cortisol.
  • Employed approximate entropy (ApEn) to assess secretory regularity and cross-ApEn for ACTH-cortisol synchrony.
  • Applied cosine regression to analyze 24-hour rhythmicity of the HPA axis.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Hypercortisolemia in depression is linked to melancholic and psychotic subtypes, with elevated ACTH and cortisol secretion primarily due to increased burst masses.
  • Cortisol secretion was irregular (high ApEn) with impaired ACTH-cortisol feedforward coupling, while ACTH secretion patterns and adrenal responsiveness remained normal.
  • Non-hypercortisolemic depressed patients showed normal ACTH regulation but reduced total cortisol secretion.

Conclusions:

  • Severe depression features central HPA axis overdrive, evidenced by increased ACTH secretion irrespective of cortisol levels.
  • Depressive hypercortisolemia arises from adrenal cortex alterations leading to disordered, ACTH-independent cortisol release, signifying physiological stress in specific depression subtypes.