Glucocorticoid challenge tests such as the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) and the combined dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing hormone (dex-CRH) test are considered to be able to sensitively measure hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity in stress-related psychiatric and endocrine disorders. We used mass-spectrometry to assess the relationship of plasma dexamethasone concentrations and the outcome of these tests in two independent cohorts. Dexamethasone concentrations were measured after oral ingestion of 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough mental disorders as major depression are highly prevalent worldwide their underlying causes remain elusive. Despite the high heritability of depression and a clear genetic contribution to the disease, the identification of genetic risk factors for depression has been very difficult. The first published candidate to reach genome-wide significance in depression was SLC6A15, a neuronal amino acid transporter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnxiety-related psychiatric disorders represent one of the largest health burdens worldwide. Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the FK506 binding protein 51 (FKBP51) gene have been repeatedly associated with anxiety-related disorders and stress sensitivity. Given the intimate relationship of stress and anxiety, we hypothesized that amygdala FKBP51 may mediate anxiety-related behaviors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMajor depression (MD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, severely affecting the quality of life of millions of people worldwide. Despite the availability of several classes of antidepressants, treatment efficacy is still very variable and many patients do not respond to the treatment. Clomipramine (CMI), a classical and widely used antidepressant, shows widespread interindividual variability of efficacy, while the environmental factors contributing to such variability remain unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreased vulnerability to aversive experiences is one of the main risk factors for stress-related psychiatric disorders as major depression. However, the molecular bases of vulnerability, on the one hand, and stress resilience, on the other hand, are still not understood. Increasing clinical and preclinical evidence suggests a central involvement of the glutamatergic system in the pathogenesis of major depression.
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