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Post-dexamethasone cortisol levels and computerized tomographic findings in manic patients
S Mukherjee1, D B Schnur, E S Lo
1Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912-3800.
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
|September 1, 1993
Summary
Cortisol levels after dexamethasone challenge were linked to enlarged third ventricles in manic patients. This study explored the relationship between cortisol suppression and brain imaging findings in bipolar disorder.
Area of Science:
- Neuroendocrinology
- Psychiatry
- Radiology
Background:
- Endogenous cortisol levels are implicated in mood disorders.
- The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) assesses hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function.
- Brain structural changes are observed in patients with bipolar disorder.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between post-dexamethasone cortisol levels and specific computerized tomography (CT) scan findings in manic patients.
- To determine if cortisol non-suppression correlates with ventricular size or cortical sulcal prominence.
Main Methods:
- Fifteen patients diagnosed with mania underwent a dexamethasone suppression test.
- Post-dexamethasone cortisol levels were measured.
- Computerized tomography (CT) scans were performed to assess lateral and third ventricle size and cortical sulcal prominence (frontal and parieto-occipital).
Main Results:
- A significant association was found between failure to suppress cortisol and enlarged third ventricles.
- No significant correlation was observed between cortisol non-suppression and lateral ventricle size or cortical sulcal prominence in either frontal or parieto-occipital regions.
Conclusions:
- Impaired cortisol suppression in mania may be linked to specific structural brain alterations, particularly third ventricle enlargement.
- These findings suggest a potential neurobiological connection between HPA axis dysregulation and ventricular morphology in manic episodes.