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Positive relationship between the catecholaminergic turnover and the DST results in depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

M. Maes ,
M. Vandewoude ,
C. Schotte ,
M. Martin  and
P. Blockx
M. Maes*
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry, Internal and Nuclear Medicine of the University Hospital of Antwerp, Belgium
M. Vandewoude
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry, Internal and Nuclear Medicine of the University Hospital of Antwerp, Belgium
C. Schotte
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry, Internal and Nuclear Medicine of the University Hospital of Antwerp, Belgium
M. Martin
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry, Internal and Nuclear Medicine of the University Hospital of Antwerp, Belgium
P. Blockx
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychiatry, Internal and Nuclear Medicine of the University Hospital of Antwerp, Belgium
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr M. Maes, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat, 10, 2520 Edegem, Belgium.
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Synopsis

In the past some workers have reported positive relationships between indices of noradrenaline activity and measures of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA)-axis function. In order to investigate these relations, the authors measured noradrenaline, adrenaline and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) in 24 h urine samples of 72 depressed females. Serum adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol concentrations were determined before and after administration of 1 mg of dexamethasone. Cortisol non-suppressors exhibited a significantly higher noradrenaline, adrenaline and VMA excretion as compared to cortisol suppressors. We determined significantly positive correlations between the postdexamethasone cortisol values and the excretion rates of noradrenaline and VMA. These indices of noradrenaline activity correlated neither with the baseline cortisol and ACTH nor with the postdexamethasone ACTH values.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 20 , Issue 3 , August 1990 , pp. 493 - 499
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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