Am J Psychiatry 1985; 142:1278-1284
Copyright © 1985 by American Psychiatric Association
Glucocorticoid receptors in depression: relationship to the dexamethasone suppression test
GJ Gormley, MT Lowy, AT Reder, VD Hospelhorn, JP Antel and HY Meltzer
Cytoplasmic glucocorticoid receptor content wa quantitated in lymphocytes
from unmedicated depressed patients and control subjects before and after a
standardized dexamethasone suppression test. Depressed patients (N = 11)
had significantly lower (32%) basal cytoplasmic glucocorticoid receptor
content than the control group (N = 14). Suppression of serum cortisol (5.0
micrograms/dl or less) in both control and depressed subjects (N = 16)
following dexamethasone (1 mg) was associated with a decrease in lymphocyte
cytoplasmic glucocorticoid receptor number, whereas no such change occurred
in cortisol nonsuppressors (N = 9). Changes in receptor concentration were
positively correlated with postdexamethasone serum cortisol levels and with
the inhibitory effect of dexamethasone on mitogen-induced lymphocyte
proliferation.
