title: CSF somatostatin in Alzheimer's disease and major depression: relationship to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and clinical measures.
abstract: Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and major depression have been shown to have overlapping clinical symptoms and biological markers, including decreased concentrations of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SLI), which may be related to alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. As in prior studies, we found that CSF SLI was significantly decreased in a group of AD patients (N = 49) and a group of elderly patients with major depression (N = 18), as compared with 13 age-matched controls (F[2, 77] = 12.9, p < .001). In the present study, CSF SLI and CSF corticotropin-releasing factor correlated significantly within the group of AD patients (r = 0.49, p < .0004) and almost attained significance in the depressed patients (r = 0.47, p < .07). CSF SLI correlated significantly with urinary free cortisol within each patient group (r = -0.51, p < .03). Clinical measures of dementia severity and depression did not consistently correlate with CSF SLI in either patient group.
authors.affiliation: Section on Geriatric Psychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Molchan
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Lawlor
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mellow
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Rubinow
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bissette
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Nemeroff
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sunderland
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003907:Dexamethasone; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D013004:Somatostatin; D003907:Dexamethasone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone