Urinary-free cortisol in depressed patients and controls: relationship to urinary indices of noradrenergic function.
We measured urinary outputs of urinary-free cortisol in 28 medication-free depressed patients and 32 normal controls. Depressed patients had significantly greater urinary outputs of urinary-free cortisol than controls. Also, there were significant correlations among depressed patients, but not among controls, between urinary-free cortisol and urinary outputs of norepinephrine and its metabolite vanillylmandelic acid (VMA). These urinary data extend recent findings suggesting that dysregulation of both the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and noradrenergic system occur together in depression.
Roy
A
A
Section of Clinical Studies, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Linnoila
M
M
Karoum
F
F
Pickar
D
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000652:urine*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000502:physiology / Q000652:urine*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid / Q000652:urine
D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D009638:Norepinephrine