Dex/CRH test cortisol response in outpatients with major depression and matched healthy controls
Open accessAbstract
Background The dexamethasone/corticotropin releasing hormone (Dex/CRH) test has been proposed as a potential tool for identifying endophenotypes relevant to mood disorders. An exaggerated cortisol response to the test during major depressive episodes has been demonstrated for inpatients with melancholic or psychotic features. A diminished hormone response has been observed in chronically depressed outpatients.Methods Following a battery of self-report and interview assessments, 68 adults completed the Dex/CRH test. Thirty-four met structured interview criteria for current major depressive disorder and 34 age- and sex-matched control subjects had no current or lifetime DSM-IV depressive disorder. Effect of diagnosis on cortisol response to the Dex/CRH test was examined in a repeated measures general linear model.Results The matched groups were equivalent with regard to childhood adversity. Cortisol response to the Dex/CRH test among subjects with current MDD was not significantly different from that seen in matched healthy controls. Independent of diagnosis, an exploratory analysis showed a trend-level association between maltreatment history and diminished cortisol response; no interactive effects with depression diagnosis were detected.Conclusions The results do not support the hypothesis that elevated cortisol response to the Dex/CRH test represents a marker for major depressive episodes.
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The DST achieved only a modest sensitivity between 20 and 50% to detect MDD.
“However, the DST achieved only a modest sensitivity between 20 and 50% to detect MDD [52, 53]”
From The HPA Axis as Target for Depression (2024) · cites this paper as [53]
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- Authors
- Carpenter, L. L., Ross, N. S., Tyrka, A. R., Anderson, G. M., Kelly, M., & Price, L. H.
- Affiliations
- Brown University (US)
- Yale University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Carpenter, Linda L.
- Venue
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-09
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1208-1213
- ISSN
- 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3580166
- OpenAlex
- W1990912500
- Cited by
- 70
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of the Interior
- Medtronic
- National Institutes of Health
- U.S. Department of Defense
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing hormone test, cortisol response, major depressive disorder, endophenotypes, child abuse, childhood adversity, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, outpatients, depression biomarkers
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Child, Child Abuse, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone, Major Depressive Disorder, Dexamethasone, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Male, Middle Aged, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Case-Control Studies
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