Effect of comorbid anxiety disorders on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis response to a social stressor in major depression

Young, Elizabeth A.; Abelson, James L.; Cameron, Oliver G.

doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.03.017

Cited by 200 publications

(160 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…These women show enhanced sensitivity to dexamethasone 28 and lower cortisol than their matched control women. 29 Although this study by Heim et al 29 did show an exaggerated response to a stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), we observed the same exaggerated response to the same stressor in patients with depression plus a comorbid anxiety disorder, 30 raising the possibility that it was comorbid anxiety, rather than childhood abuse, that accounted for the differences between groups. Although the study by Breslau et al, 27 analyzing data on adult and childhood trauma from the Detroit Area Study, concluded that trauma does not increase the risk of depression except through PTSD, all studies conclude that women are more sensitive to the development of PTSD after trauma.…”

Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 63%

“…Our studies with this same stressor on 96 subjects reached exactly the same conclusions that men show a greater ACTH response to the stressor than women but the cortisol response to the stressor is the same. 30 The majority of Sex, trauma, stress hormones and depression E Young and A Korszun cortisol in plasma is bound to cortisol steroid-binding globulin. Examining saliva cortisol, the free or active cortisol leads to the conclusions that women show smaller saliva cortisol responses to stress, but it is dependent upon the menstrual cycle phase.…”

Section: Sex Differences In Stress Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sex, trauma, stress hormones and depression

2009

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Although few studies dispute that there are gender differences in depression, the etiology is still unknown. In this review, we cover a number of proposed factors and the evidences for and against these factors that may account for gender differences in depression. These include the possible role of estrogens at puberty, differences in exposure to childhood trauma, differences in stress perception between men and women and the biological differences in stress response. None of these factors seem to explain gender differences in depression. Finally, we do know that when depressed, women show greater hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation than men and that menopause with loss of estrogens show the greatest HPA axis dysregulation. It may be the constantly changing steroid milieu that contributes to these phenomena and vulnerability to depression.

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Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 63%

Section: Sex Differences In Stress Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex, trauma, stress hormones and depression

2009

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“…Depression is associated with altered corticotropinreleasing factor (CRF), elevated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hormones, and impaired feedback regulation of the HPA axis (Asnis et al, 1987;Banki et al, 1992;Raadsheer et al, 1995;Sullivan Hanley & Van de Kar, 2003;Young et al, 2004). Similar changes, including alterations in corticosterone and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), impaired feedback control of HPA axis functioning, impaired glucorticoid receptor binding (increased mRNA expression and density of binding sites) in the hippocampus, cortex and dorsal raphe nucleus, and altered CRF input to the dorsal raphe nucleus, have been observed in several validated animal models of depression (Froger et al, 2004;Maier & Watkins, 2005;Grippo et al, 2005a;Grippo et al, 2005b) [but see (Azpíroz et al, 1999) for negative findings regarding circulating corticosterone levels].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social isolation induces behavioral and neuroendocrine disturbances relevant to depression in female and male prairie voles

Grippo

Gerena

Huang

et al. 2007

Psychoneuroendocrinology

299

279

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SummarySupportive social interactions may be protective against stressors and certain mental and physical illness, while social isolation may be a powerful stressor. Prairie voles are socially monogamous rodents that model some of the behavioral and physiological traits displayed by humans, including sensitivity to social isolation. Neuroendocrine and behavioral parameters, selected for their relevance to stress and depression, were measured in adult female and male prairie voles following 4 weeks of social isolation versus paired housing. In Experiment 1, oxytocin-immunoreactive cell density was higher in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and plasma oxytocin was elevated in isolated females, but not males. In Experiment 2, sucrose intake, used as an operational definition of hedonia, was reduced in both sexes following 4 weeks of isolation. Animals then received a residentintruder test, and were sacrificed either 10 minutes later for the analysis of circulating hormones and peptides, or two hours later to examine neural activation, indexed by c-Fos expression in PVN cells immunoreactive for oxytocin or corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). Compared to paired animals, plasma oxytocin, ACTH and corticosterone were elevated in isolated females and plasma oxytocin was elevated in isolated males, following the resident-intruder test. The proportion of cells doublelabeled for c-Fos and oxytocin or c-Fos and CRF was elevated in isolated females, and the proportion of cells double-labeled for c-Fos and oxytocin was elevated in isolated males following this test. These findings suggest that social isolation induces behavioral and neuroendocrine responses relevant to depression in male and female prairie voles, although neuroendocrine responses in females may be especially sensitive to isolation.

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“…It is well established that mood disorders are often associated with alterations in hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis function (Holsboer, 2000;Owens and Nemeroff, 1993;Young et al, 2004). Although some studies have found no alterations in HPA axis activity in major depression, evidence of hypercortisolism is one of the most consistent biological findings among psychiatric patients (Carroll, 1982;Holsboer and Barden, 1996;Linkowski, 2003;Young et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, it has been suggested that melancholic depression is associated with HPA axis hyperactivity, whereas atypical depression is associated with HPA axis downregulation (Anisman et al, 1999;Geracioti et al, 1997;Gold and Chrousos, 2002). Findings of HPA axis dysregulation in patients with primary anxiety disorders are generally less robust than in those with major depression (Arborelius et al, 1999;Young et al, 2004). However, HPA axis hyperactivity has been documented in studies of social phobia (Furlan et al, 2001), panic disorder (Abelson and Curtis, 1996;Coryell et al, 1991;Roy-Byrne et al, 1986;Schreiber et al, 1996;Wedekind et al, 2000), generalized anxiety (Roy-Byrne et al, 1986), obsessive-compulsive disorder (Altemus et al, 1992), and mixed anxietydepressive disorder (Kara et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between Cortisol Responses to Stress and Personality

Oswald

Zandi

Nestadt

et al. 2006

Neuropsychopharmacol

235

145

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Although there is growing evidence of links between the cortisol stress response and personality, the nature of the relationships and the underlying mechanisms require further clarification. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between personality traits and cortisol responses to stress using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory five-factor model of personality. In total, 68 healthy adults, aged 18-30 years, completed the personality assessment and underwent a laboratory psychological stress test that consisted of a 5 min speech and 5-min of mental arithmetic. Findings showed that in the sample as a whole, less Openness was associated with lower cortisol responses to the challenge. Cortisol responses also corresponded to certain personality dimensions in a gender-specific manner. Blunted cortisol responses were associated with higher Neuroticism in women and with lower Extraversion in men. These findings suggest that personality traits that have been traditionally associated with greater psychopathology were also associated with blunted HPA axis responses to stress.

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Effect of comorbid anxiety disorders on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis response to a social stressor in major depression

Cited by 200 publications

References 51 publications

Sex, trauma, stress hormones and depression

Sex, trauma, stress hormones and depression

Social isolation induces behavioral and neuroendocrine disturbances relevant to depression in female and male prairie voles

Relationship between Cortisol Responses to Stress and Personality

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