Plasma 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol levels in depressed patients with and without abnormal dexamethasone suppression.
Escape from dexamethasone-induced suppression of plasma cortisol is an abnormality found in about half of patients with major depression. It has been hypothesized that this hyperactivity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis might be related to a central noradrenergic hypofunction. The present study was designed to test this hypothesis by measuring plasma 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (DOPEG) levels (free and conjugated forms), an index of central noradrenergic activity, and by simultaneously carrying out a dexamethasone suppression test. Forty-five patients with a diagnosis of major depression (according to the DSM-III) were investigated. Plasma DOPEG levels (measured at 8 a.m.) were found to be similar in dexamethasone suppressor and nonsuppressor depressed patients. These results do not support the hypothesis that central noradrenergic hypoactivity underlies nonsuppression of dexamethasone in major depression.
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D003907:Dexamethasone; D005260:Female; D006018:Glycols / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged
D006018:Glycols; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; D003907:Dexamethasone; C010117:3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol; D006854:Hydrocortisone