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Thyroid function before and after four-week light treatment in winter depressives and controls
M S Bauer1, J Kurtz, A Winokur
1Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Providence, RI 02908-4799.
Psychoneuroendocrinology
|January 1, 1993
Summary
This study found no significant thyroid function abnormalities in patients with major depressive disorder with seasonal patterns. Light treatment did not alter thyroid parameters, suggesting the thyroid axis is not involved in winter depression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroendocrinology
- Psychiatry
- Chronobiology
Background:
- Recurrent major mood disorder with seasonal pattern (winter depression) is a subtype of mood disorder.
- Thyroid dysfunction has been hypothesized to play a role in the pathophysiology of mood disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate thyroid function in patients with major depressive disorder with seasonal pattern.
- To compare thyroid function between patients and controls before and after light treatment.
Main Methods:
- Assessed thyroid hormones (thyroxine, triiodothyronine, reverse triiodothyronine), thyrotropin, and thyroid autoantibodies.
- Compared measurements in depressed patients and controls at baseline and after 4 weeks of light treatment or early arising without bright light exposure.
Main Results:
- No consistent thyroid function abnormalities were observed in depressed patients at baseline.
- No significant differences in thyroid parameters were found between depressed patients and controls.
- Light treatment did not induce intergroup differences in thyroid function, though reverse T3 decreased in all groups.
Conclusions:
- The findings do not support a role for the thyroid axis in the pathogenesis of winter depressive symptoms.
- The thyroid axis does not appear to be a key factor in the response to light therapy for seasonal affective disorder.