Cortisol Secretion Rate in Depressive Illness

Depression in Patients With Epilepsy

“…Gibbons (1964) confirmed these findings and found that, not only were there elevated cortisol secretion rates before treatment, but that they were higher in the more severely depressed patients; moreover, the relief of depression was accompanied by a significant decrease in cortisol secretion rate. Sachar et al (1973) described the cortisol secretion of 6 psychotically depressed patients and 8 normal persons, and showed that the depressives, while ill, secreted substantially more cortisol, that there was a disruption of the diurnal variation of cortisol secretion, and that after treatment, the patients' secretory patterns normalised.…”

Genotype-dependent responsivity to inflammatory pain: A role for TRPV1 in the periaqueductal grey

“…In human and animal models, stimulation of this structure evokes anxiety and panic-like responses, eventually accompanied by activation of the HPA axis (Lim et al, 2011;Nashold et al, 1969). The HPA axis plays an important role in the modulation of anxiety-like behaviour (Arborelius et al, 1999;Gibbons, 1964). Earlier studies have consistently shown that a significant correlation exists between the activation of the HPA axis and stress-or anxiety-related behaviour (Smith et al, 1998).…”

Flattening the Corticosterone Rhythm Attenuates 5-HT1A Autoreceptor Function in the Rat: Relevance for Depression

“…It has long been observed that a significant proportion of depressed patients have elevated plasma cortisol levels (Gibbons, 1964), possibly due to abnormalities in negative feedback at multiple levels in the HPA axis (Holsboer et al, 1995). More recently, the early observation of elevated plasma cortisol has been reported in more detail, establishing that in depressed patients cortisol levels at the usual afternoon nadir are elevated approximately two-fold while at the early morning peak levels are only marginally raised.…”

“…Hence, the diurnal rhythm shows a flattened profile (Deuschle et al, 1997;Wong et al, 2000). Upon recovery from depression, HPA axis function and plasma cortisol levels have been reported to return towards normal (Gibbons, 1964;Holsboer et al, 1995), suggesting that these abnormalities are state dependent.…”