TY - JOUR
T1 - The Dexamethasone/Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Test in Men with Major Depression
T2 - Role of Childhood Trauma
AU - Heim, Christine
AU - Mletzko, Tanja
AU - Purselle, David
AU - Musselman, Dominique L.
AU - Nemeroff, Charles B.
N1 - Funding Information:
Financial Disclosures: Christine Heim: Dr. Heim received research grants from NARSAD, Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA), Eli Lilly, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Funding Information:
Dominique L. Musselman: Dr. Musselman received grants from Forest Laboratories, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Dana Foundation, NIMH, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and Schering Plough. Dr. Musselman served on the Speaker’s Bureau of Forest Laboratories.
Funding Information:
This work was supported by a 2002 National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) Young Investigator Award (CH) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) MH-58922 Project 6 (CBN/CH) and MH-42088 (CBN) as well as NIH M01-RR00039 (Emory University General Clinical Research Center).
PY - 2008/2/15
Y1 - 2008/2/15
N2 - Background: The dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) test is considered to be the most sensitive measure of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hyperactivity and has been demonstrated to be altered in patients with major depression (MDD). Although childhood trauma is a demonstrated risk factor for MDD and patients with a history of childhood abuse and MDD demonstrate HPA axis hyperactivity, the dexamethasone/CRF test remains unstudied in this population. We determined the impact of childhood trauma on dexamethasone/CRF test results in patients with MDD. Methods: Forty-nine healthy men, ages 18-60 years, without mania or psychosis, active substance abuse, or eating disorder and medication-free were recruited into four study groups, including: 1) normal subjects with no childhood abuse history or psychiatric disorder (n = 14); 2) men with childhood abuse histories without current MDD (n = 14); 3) men with childhood abuse histories with current MDD (n = 15); and 4) men with current MDD and no childhood abuse history (n = 6). Plasma adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol concentrations were measured in response to dexamethasone/CRF administration. Results: Men with childhood trauma histories exhibited increases in ACTH and cortisol responses to dexamethasone/CRF compared with non-abused men. In particular, abused men with current MDD showed increased responsiveness compared with control subjects and depressed men without childhood abuse experience. Increased response was associated with the severity, duration, and earlier onset of the abuse. The effects were not explained by concurrent posttraumatic stress disorder. Conclusions: Childhood trauma increases HPA axis activity as measured with the dexamethasone/CRF test in adult men with MDD, potentially reflecting environmental risk for developing depression.
AB - Background: The dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) test is considered to be the most sensitive measure of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hyperactivity and has been demonstrated to be altered in patients with major depression (MDD). Although childhood trauma is a demonstrated risk factor for MDD and patients with a history of childhood abuse and MDD demonstrate HPA axis hyperactivity, the dexamethasone/CRF test remains unstudied in this population. We determined the impact of childhood trauma on dexamethasone/CRF test results in patients with MDD. Methods: Forty-nine healthy men, ages 18-60 years, without mania or psychosis, active substance abuse, or eating disorder and medication-free were recruited into four study groups, including: 1) normal subjects with no childhood abuse history or psychiatric disorder (n = 14); 2) men with childhood abuse histories without current MDD (n = 14); 3) men with childhood abuse histories with current MDD (n = 15); and 4) men with current MDD and no childhood abuse history (n = 6). Plasma adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol concentrations were measured in response to dexamethasone/CRF administration. Results: Men with childhood trauma histories exhibited increases in ACTH and cortisol responses to dexamethasone/CRF compared with non-abused men. In particular, abused men with current MDD showed increased responsiveness compared with control subjects and depressed men without childhood abuse experience. Increased response was associated with the severity, duration, and earlier onset of the abuse. The effects were not explained by concurrent posttraumatic stress disorder. Conclusions: Childhood trauma increases HPA axis activity as measured with the dexamethasone/CRF test in adult men with MDD, potentially reflecting environmental risk for developing depression.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.07.002
DO - 10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.07.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 17825799
AN - SCOPUS:38349131059
SN - 0006-3223
VL - 63
SP - 398
EP - 405
JO - Biological Psychiatry
JF - Biological Psychiatry
IS - 4
ER -