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Corticotropin-releasing factor immunoreactivity in post-mortem brain from depressed suicides
B G Charlton1, S C Cheetham, R W Horton
1MRC Neuroendocrinology Unit, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE4 6BE, U.K.
Journal of Psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
|December 14, 2011
Summary
Cortico-tropin-releasing factor (CRF) levels in the brain cortex were similar in suicide victims with depression and controls. This suggests cortical CRF is not altered in major depressive disorder.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with dysregulation of the stress response system.
- Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a key neuropeptide in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, involved in stress regulation.
- Previous studies have reported altered CRF levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of depressed patients, but cortical tissue data is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate Corticotropin-releasing factor immunoreactivity (CRF-I) concentrations in post-mortem cortical brain tissue from individuals with and without a history of depressive illness.
- To determine if cortical CRF-I levels differ between suicide victims diagnosed with depression and matched controls.
Main Methods:
- Post-mortem cortical brain tissue samples were collected from 12 suicide victims with depression and 12 age- and sex-matched controls.
- CRF-I concentrations were measured in various cortical regions (frontal, temporal, motor, parietal) using immunoassay techniques.
- Statistical analyses were performed to compare CRF-I levels between the suicide and control groups, including a subgroup of drug-free suicides.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in mean CRF-I concentrations in the frontal, temporal, motor, and parietal cortex between the total group of suicide victims and their matched controls.
- Analysis of a subgroup of eight drug-free suicides also revealed no significant differences in cortical CRF-I levels compared to their matched controls.
- These findings indicate that cortical CRF-I concentrations remain unchanged in individuals with depressive illness.
Conclusions:
- Cortical CRF-I concentrations do not appear to be altered in major depressive disorder.
- The results contrast with some previous findings of elevated CRF in the cerebrospinal fluid of depressed patients.
- Further research is needed to reconcile the discrepancies in CRF levels between brain tissue and CSF in depression and to fully understand the role of CRF in the pathophysiology of MDD.
