The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) is highly relevant in depressive disorders. Some investigations suggest that the HPA axis is altered in depressive disorders as indicated by higher awakening cortisol levels. There are also some results that show relations between cortisol level, psychopathology and neuropsychological performance. However, a systematic investigation of this relationship with a large and matched sample of patients and controls is missing. We tested 59 patients with depressive disorders and 75 healthy controls with tasks from the neuropsychological CANTAB and NEUROBAT battery. Before and after these tests we collected salivary samples. The study ended followed with an extensive measurement of psychopathology (e. g. BDI, HAM-D) and mood (visual analog scales).

The study revealed a significant relationship between salivary cortisol and results in tasks to executive function in the neuropsychological assessment in the control group but not in the patient group. There was no relationship between salivary cortisol and other cognitive performances. While patients with higher salivary cortisol levels reported worse mood, higher salivary levels in healthy controls were associated with better mood. These results could be related to different stress levels and different expectations regarding the examination of the groups.