Psychosomatic Medicine, Vol 43, Issue 3 235-242, Copyright © 1981 by American Psychosomatic Society

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Cortisol secretion in relation to age in major depression

GM Asnis, EJ Sachar, U Halbreich, RS Nathan, H Novacenko and LC Ostrow

Twenty-five unmedicated hospitalized patients, ages 26-64, with severe major depressive disorders, endogenous subtype, were evaluated both clinically and endocrinologically. Although measures reflecting cortisol secretion did not correlate with symptom dimensions and diagnostic subtypes, we did find a significant relationship between cortisol secretion and age during endogenous depressive illness; this included the mean 24 hour plasma cortisol, assessed by sampling every 30 minutes for 24 hours, as well as other single plasma cortisol assessments on other days. After clinical recovery, when plasma cortisol levels returned to normal, there was no significant relationship between cortisol secretion and age. Replication is required of this apparent interaction among age, depressive illness, and cortisol secretion. The result may relate to the proposed role of brain noradrenalin in tonically inhibiting cortisol secretion, the decline of hypothalamic noradrenalin with age, and the hypothesized deficit in depressive illness.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. Sher Type D personality: the heart, stress, and cortisol QJM, May 1, 2005; 98(5): 323 - 329. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Puig-Antich, R. Dahl, N. Ryan, H. Novacenko, D. Goetz, R. Goetz, J. Twomey, and T. Klepper Cortisol Secretion in Prepubertal Children With Major Depressive Disorder: Episode and Recovery Arch Gen Psychiatry, September 1, 1989; 46(9): 801 - 809. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. J. Schleifer, S. E. Keller, R. N. Bond, J. Cohen, and M. Stein Major Depressive Disorder and Immunity: Role of Age, Sex, Severity, and Hospitalization Arch Gen Psychiatry, January 1, 1989; 46(1): 81 - 87. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. Roy, D. Pickar, J. De Jong, F. Karoum, and M. Linnoila Norepinephrine and Its Metabolites in Cerebrospinal Fluid, Plasma, and Urine: Relationship to Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Function in Depression Arch Gen Psychiatry, September 1, 1988; 45(9): 849 - 857. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. T. Rubin, R. E. Poland, I. M. Lesser, R. A. Winston, and A. L. N. Blodgett Neuroendocrine Aspects of Primary Endogenous Depression: I. Cortisol Secretory Dynamics in Patients and Matched Controls Arch Gen Psychiatry, April 1, 1987; 44(4): 328 - 336. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Feinberg and B. J. Carroll Biological 'Markers' for Endogenous Depression: Effect of Age, Severity of Illness, Weight Loss, and Polarity Arch Gen Psychiatry, November 1, 1984; 41(11): 1080 - 1085. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. E. Stokes, P. M. Stoll, S. H. Koslow, J. W. Maas, J. M. Davis, A. C. Swann, and E. Robins Pretreatment DST and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical Function in Depressed Patients and Comparison Groups: A Multicenter Study Arch Gen Psychiatry, March 1, 1984; 41(3): 257 - 267. [Abstract] [PDF]