Relationship of cortisol levels and genetic polymorphisms to antidepressant response to placebo and fluoxetine in patients with major depressive disorder: a prospective study.

Background: Increased cortisol levels and genetic polymorphisms have been related to both major depressive disorder and antidepressant treatment outcome. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between circadian salivary cortisol levels, cortisol suppression by dexamethasone and genetic polymorphisms in some HPA axis-related genes to the response to placebo and fluoxetine in depressed patients.

Methods: The diagnosis and severity of depression were performed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.