title: Does fludrocortisone influence autobiographical memory retrieval? A study in patients with major depression, patients with borderline personality disorder and healthy controls.
abstract: There is evidence that stimulation of mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) enhances memory in healthy subjects and in patients with major depression (MDD). In contrast, in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), this effect seems to be task dependent. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of MR stimulation on autobiographical memory retrieval in healthy individuals, patients with MDD, and patients with BPD. We conducted a placebo-controlled study in an intra-individual cross-over design. Twenty-four patients with MDD, 37 patients with BPD, and 67 healthy participants completed an autobiographical memory test after receiving 0.4 mg fludrocortisone, a mineralocorticoid receptor preferring agonist, or placebo in a randomized order. Healthy subjects, patients with MDD, and patients with BPD did not differ in their autobiographical memory retrieval. Furthermore, the administration of fludrocortisone had no effect on autobiographical memory. In conclusion, the stimulation of MR does not influence autobiographical memory retrieval in healthy subjects, patients with MDD, and patients with BPD. Our results do not support a role of MR in autobiographical memory.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Charité University Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin , Berlin , Germany.
authors.forename: Juliane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fleischer
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Charité University Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin , Berlin , Germany.
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wingenfeld
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Charité University Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin , Berlin , Germany.
authors.forename: Linn K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Kuehl
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Charité University Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin , Berlin , Germany.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hinkelmann
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Charité University Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin , Berlin , Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roepke
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Charité University Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin , Berlin , Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Otte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005438:Fludrocortisone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018161:Receptors, Mineralocorticoid / Q000819:agonists*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018161:Receptors, Mineralocorticoid; D005438:Fludrocortisone
keywords: Major depression; borderline personality disorder; memory; mineralocorticoid receptor