title: Cognition and HPA axis reactivity in mildly to moderately depressed outpatients: a case-control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with depression display neurobiological changes of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis as well as cognitive disturbances.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess any association between hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity and memory-related cognitive functions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Depressed outpatients (n = 83, ICD-10) were group-matched to healthy controls (n = 33), and tested on a number of cognitive domains. Salivary samples were collected at awakening, 30 min later and at 22:00 h. At 23:00 h, the participants ingested 1.0 mg of dexamethasone, and three saliva samples were collected the following day at the same times.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients and controls did not differ on any memory-related cognitive skills. After dexamethasone the cortisol level was 1.7 nmol/l higher (95% CI 0.0-2.8, P = 0.05) in depressed patients compared with controls. In the control group, but not in the patients, a positive association between post-DST cortisol and Rey's Complex figure test (1.3; 95% CI 0.3-3.6; P = 0.02) was found. We found no significant associations between other memory functions and cortisol measures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contrary to our hypothesis, we found a positive association between cortisol levels after dexamethasone and visuo-spatial memory primarily driven by the healthy controls. Otherwise, no association were found between HPA axis reactivity and memory-related cognitive function.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Centre Copenhagen, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Jesper.krogh@regionh.dk
authors.forename: Jesper
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Krogh
authors.forename: Poul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Videbech
authors.forename: Signe Groth
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Renvillard
authors.forename: Anne Helene
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Garde
authors.forename: Martin Balslev
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: Merete
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nordentoft
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D003907:Dexamethasone; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D010045:Outpatients; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D003907:Dexamethasone; D006854:Hydrocortisone