Faulty cortisol/serotonin interplay. Psychopathological and biological characterisation of a new, hypothetical depression subtype (SeCA depression)
Psychiatry ResearchPublished 1 December 1996
H. M. van Praag
Citations87
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score1.61
SNIP1.29
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
TL;DR
The hypothesis is proposed of a new subtype of depression named: stressor-precipitated, cortisol-induced, serotonin-related, anxiety/aggression-driven depression (SeCA depression), characterized by impaired 5-HT synthesis and reduced5-HT1A receptor sensitivity.
Abstract
The hypothesis is proposed of a new subtype of depression named: stressor-precipitated, cortisol-induced, serotonin-related, anxiety/aggression-driven depression (SeCA depression). Biologically, these patients are characterized by impaired 5-HT synthesis and reduced 5-HT1A receptor sensitivity. Under normal conditions these functions proceed marginally; in times of stress they easily fail, due to sustained overproduction of cortisol. Psychopathologically this depression type shows the following characteristics: anxiety and aggression, not mood lowering, heralding a depressive episode; the personality structure shows 'character neurotic' impairments and tolerance for (certain) traumatic life events is low. As specific therapeutic agents selective 5-HT1A agonists and cortisol or CRH antagonists are proposed. Prophylactically, maintenance treatment with 5-HT1A agonists seems indicated as well as psychological interventions to increase the stressor threshold.
Keywords
PsychologyNeuroscience
Medical Entomology and ZoologyPsychopharmacology: The Fourth Generation of Progress
2,988 Citations1995Floyd E. Bloom, David J. Kupfer
ScienceStress Hormones: Their Interaction and Regulation
1,526 Citations1984Julius Axelrod, Terry Reisine
Together these agents appear to determine the complex physiologic responses to a variety of stressors.
ScienceElevated Concentrations of CSF Corticotropin-Releasing Factor-Like Immunoreactivity in Depressed Patients
1,487 Citations1984Charles B. Nemeroff, Erik Widerlöv +7 more
Findings are concordant with the hypothesis that CRF hypersecretion is, at least in part, responsible for the hyperactivity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis characteristic of major depression.
Life SciencesLow cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentration differentiates impulsive from nonimpulsive violent behavior
1,316 Citations1983M. Linnoila, Matti Virkkunen +4 more
Of the groups studied, impulsive violent offenders who had attempted suicide had the lowest 5HIAA levels, which may be a marker of impulsivity rather than violence.
Trends in Pharmacological SciencesCurrent advances and trends in the treatment of depression
1,113 Citations1994Pierre Blier, Claude de Montigny
A better understanding of the neurobiological basis for the delayed onset of action of antidepressant treatments has led to the elaboration of strategies that could accelerate the antidepressant response.
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral ReviewsMechanisms of stress: A dynamic overview of hormonal and behavioral homeostasis
882 Citations1992Elizabeth O. Johnson, Themis C. Kamilaris +2 more
The purpose of this review is to define the concepts of stress and the stress response from a historical perspective, present a dynamic overview of the biobehavioral mechanisms that participate in the Stress Response, and examine the consequences of stress on the physiologic and behavioral well-being of the organism by integrating knowledge from apparently disparate fields of science.
Mayo Clinic ProceedingsPsychopharmacology: The Fourth Generation of Progress
782 Citations1995Keith G. Kramlinger
Part 1 Preclinical section: critical analysis of methods transmitter systems - amino acids, amines, peptides, new transmitterscritical analysis of integrative concepts.
The British Journal of PsychiatryThe Dexamethasone Suppression Test for Melancholia
773 Citations1982Bernard J. Carroll
This review will focus on the most widely studied neuroendocrine disturbance: disinhibition of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal cortex (HPA) system as revealed by the dexamethasone suppression test (DST).
Archives of General PsychiatryDisrupted 24-hour Patterns of Cortisol Secretion in Psychotic Depression
771 Citations1973Edward J. Sachar
The data suggest an abnormal disinhibition during depressive illness of the neuroendocrine centers regulating adrenocorticotrophic hormone release, which may be involved in the hypersecretion of cortisol in certain depressed patients.
New England Journal of MedicineResponses to Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone in the Hypercortisolism of Depression and Cushing's Disease
771 Citations1986Philip W. Gold, D. Lynn Loriaux +13 more
The pathophysiologic features of hypercortisolism in depression and Cushing's disease are distinct in each of the disorders and that the ovine corticotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test can be helpful in their differential diagnosis.
Archives of General PsychiatryScaling of Life Events
735 Citations1971Eugene S. Paykel
Varied subjects were asked to judge the degree to which 61 life events were upsetting, and consensus scaling of events may facilitate use of a quantified methodology in empirical studies of life stress.
PsychopharmacologyTryptophan depletion causes a rapid lowering of mood in normal males
720 Citations1985Simon N. Young, Scott E. Smith +2 more
Although the mood-lowering effect was not as great as that seen in depressed patients, the results suggest that low brain 5HT might be one factor precipitating depression in some patients.
Science"Serotonin Depression"—A Biochemical Subgroup Within the Affective Disorders?
679 Citations1976Marie Åsberg, Peter Thorén +3 more
There was a significant correlation between the concnetration of 5-HIAA and severity of depression in the lower, but not in the upper, mode, which suggests the existence of a biochemical subgroup of depressive disorder, characterized by a disturbance of serotonin turnover.
Brain Research ReviewsBehavioral depression produced by an uncontrollable stressor: Relationship to norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin levels in various regions of rat brain
666 Citations1981Jay M. Weiss, Prudence A. Goodman +4 more
It is suggested that large stress-induced depletion of NE in the LC is involved in mediating behavioral depression brought about by severe stress, and induction of catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes — tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine-β-hydroxylases (DBH) — in theLC may be a neurochemical mechanism to bring about recovery from poststress behavioral depression.
NeuroendocrinologyIncreased Numbers of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Expressing Neurons in the Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus of Depressed Patients
662 Citations2008F.C. Raadsheer, Witte J.G. Hoogendijk +3 more
The observations strongly support the hypothesis that CRH neurons in the PVN are hyperactivated in major depressed patients, and might be causally related to at least part of the symptomatology of depression.
Neuroscience5-Hydroxytryptamine2 and 5-hydroxytryptamine1A receptors mediate opposing responses on membrane excitability in rat association cortex
622 Citations1991Ricardo C. Araneda, Rodrigo Andrade
The paradoxical presence of two serotonin receptors mediating opposite effects on membrane excitability in the same cell provides a flexible mechanism by which serotonin might regulate how pyramidal neurons encode incoming excitatory stimuli onto firing activity.
Archives of General PsychiatryCSF Biochemistries, Glucose Metabolism, and Diurnal Activity Rhythms in Alcoholic, Violent Offenders, Fire Setters, and Healthy Volunteers
596 Citations1994Matti Virkkunen
A low CSF 5-HIAA concentration was primarily associated with impulsivity and high CSF testosterone concentration, with aggressiveness or interpersonal violence in alcoholic, impulsive and nonimpulsive offenders.
Archives of General PsychiatryIncreased Serotonin2 and β-Adrenergic Receptor Binding in the Frontal Cortices of Suicide Victims
550 Citations1986J. John Mann
The hypothesis that suicide completed by violent methods is associated with reduced presynaptic serotonergic activity that has generated compensatory upregulation of the postsynaptic serotonin2 receptor sites is supported and antidepressant pharmacotherapies specifically downregulate cortical beta-adrenergic and/or serotonin2 receptors in depressed subjects are investigated.
The LancetINCREASED SEROTONIN-2 BINDING SITES IN FRONTAL CORTEX OF SUICIDE VICTIMS
533 Citations1983Michael Stanley, J. John Mann
The combined findings of both studies support the decreased use of serotonin in suicide victims and may also throw light on the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs.
Journal of NeuroendocrinologyPrenatal Stress Increases the Hypothalamo‐Pituitary‐Adrenal Axis Response in Young and Adult Rats
528 Citations1994Chantal Henry, Mohamed Kabbaj +3 more
Findings suggest that prenatal stress produces long term changes in the hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenal axis in the offspring.
NeuroendocrinologyNeonatal Handling Alters Adrenocortical Negative Feedback Sensitivity and Hippocampal Type II Glucocorticoid Receptor Binding in the Rat
464 Citations2008Michael J. Meaney, David H. Aitken +3 more
It was found that H animals secreted less ACTH and corticosterone during and following the termination of stress than did nonhandled (NH) controls, and H animals were more sensitive than NH animals to the inhibitory effects of either B or dexamethasone on stress-induced adrenocortical activity.
Brain ResearchSerotonergic mechanisms promote dominance acquisition in adult male vervet monkeys
446 Citations1991Michael J. Raleigh, Michael T. McGuire +3 more
The sequence of the behavioral changes shown by the treated males as they acquired dominance status paralleled those seen in naturalistic conditions and strongly suggest that when hierarchical relationships are uncertain, serotonergic mechanisms may mediate the behaviors which permit a male to attain high dominance status.
The Quarterly Review of BiologyThe Integration of Dominance and Social Bonding in Primates
432 Citations1986F B de Waal
Observations demonstrate that relationships among adult male chimpanzees cannot be described in terms of a dichotomy between affiliative and antagonistic tendencies, and that male bonding in this species has not been achieved by an elimination of aggression, but by a set of powerful buffering mechanisms that mitigate its effects.
Trends in NeurosciencesDo antidepressants stabilize mood through actions on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system?
389 Citations1995Nicholas Barden, Johannes M. H. M. Reul +1 more
Since the timecourse of antidepressant actions on corticosteroid receptors follows more closely that of clinical improvement of depression, antidepressants might elevate mood in depressives through their long-term effects on HPA regulation.
Archives of General PsychiatrySuicidality and 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid Concentration Associated With a Tryptophan Hydroxylase Polymorphism
376 Citations1994David A. Nielsen
In some individuals, a genetic variant of the TPH gene may influence 5-HIAA concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid and predisposition to suicidal behavior.
American Journal of PsychiatryLow CSF 5-HIAA concentrations and severe aggression and impaired impulse control in nonhuman primates
376 Citations1994Patrick T. Mehlman, J. Dee Higley +6 more
Adolescent male rhesus macaques with low CSF 5-HIAA concentrations are at risk for 1) exhibiting more violent forms of aggressive behavior and 2) loss of impulse control as evidenced by greater risk taking during movement through the forest canopy.
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesChromosome 18 DNA markers and manic-depressive illness: evidence for a susceptibility gene.
372 Citations1994Wade H. Berrettini, Thomas N. Ferraro +5 more
Results imply a susceptibility gene in the pericentromeric region of chromosome 18, with a complex mode of inheritance, and two plausible candidate genes, a corticotropin receptor and the alpha subunit of a GTP binding protein, have been localized to this region.
Archives of General PsychiatryDexamethasone Suppression Tests in Antidepressant Treatment of Melancholia
357 Citations1983John F. Greden
The results extend the construct validity of the DST as a state-related marker in nonsuppressors and suggest future clinical applications.
The British Journal of PsychiatryGlucocorticoids and the Genesis of Depressive Illness a Psychobiological Model
340 Citations1994Timothy G. Dinan
The theory presented here suggests that chronic stress which activates the HPA will in certain susceptible people produce changes in central monoamines, and the high level of glucocorticoid receptors on such central neurons is postulated as mediating the alterations.
Archives of General PsychiatryMood-Lowering Effect of Tryptophan Depletion
337 Citations1994Chawki Benkelfat
The hypothesis that subjects with no prior depressive episodes but with a multigenerational family history of major affective disorder show a greater reduction in mood after tryptophan depletion is supported, consistent with theories that implicate deficient serotonergic function as one possible etiological factor in major depressive disorders.
EndocrinologyChronic treatment of rats with the antidepressant amitriptyline attenuates the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system.
337 Citations1993Johannes M. H. M. Reul, Ingemar S.M. Stec +2 more
It is hypothesized that during amitriptyline treatment a rise in limbic MR may be the initial phenomenon in a successively adjusting HPA system, as evidenced by the decreasing plasma hormone concentrations, declining adrenal size, and up-regulation of GR in particular brain regions.
Archives of General PsychiatryCerebrospinal Fluid Monoamine and Adrenal Correlates of Aggression in Free-Ranging Rhesus Monkeys
328 Citations1992J. Dee Higley
There was evidence that aggression was associated with stress, in that cerebrospinal fluid, norepinephrine, and plasma corticotropin and cortisol concentrations were positively correlated with high rankings of aggression.
Brain Research5-HT uptake sites and 5-HT2 receptors in brain of antidepressant-free suicide victims/depressives: increase in 5-HT2 sites in cortex and amygdala
325 Citations1993Pavel D. Hrdina, Elizabeth Demeter +3 more
The data confirm and extend some of the previous findings of increases in 5-HT2 receptors in post-mortem brains of suicide victims and depressives who died of natural causes and lend support to the view that an abnormality in brain serotonergic system is associated with depression and suicidal behaviour.
Journal of Steroid BiochemistryAnatomical resolution of two types of corticosterone receptor sites in rat brain with in vitro autoradiography and computerized image analysis
321 Citations1986Johannes M. H. M. Reul, E. R. de Kloet
In vitro autoradiography revealed that CR receptor sites are almost entirely restricted to the septal-hippocampal complex, whereas the presence of GR extends throughout the brain, and in vitro determination of binding of 3H-labelled steroids to CR and GR in cytosol of "punched out" brain tissue revealed a similar neuroanatomical distribution.
Naunyn-Schmiedeberg s Archives of PharmacologyEffects of a selective 5-HT reuptake blocker, citalopram, on the sensitivity of 5-HT autoreceptors: Electrophysiological studies in the rat brain
321 Citations1986Yves Chaput, Claude de Montigny +1 more
It is concluded that long-term CIT treatment enhances 5-HT neurotransmission by desensitizing both the somatodendritic and terminal 5- HT autoreceptors.
British Journal of PharmacologyEvidence that mCPP may have behavioural effects mediated by central 5‐HT<sub>1C</sub> receptors
297 Citations1988G.A. Kennett, G. Curzon
As mianserin, cyproheptadine and mesulergine in the absence of mCPP did not increase locomotion but increased the number of feeding scores, the activation of 5‐HT1C‐receptors may be of physiological importance in the control of appetite.
Archives of General PsychiatryLoss of Glucocorticoid Fast Feedback in Depression
296 Citations1991Elizabeth A. Young
The data presented herein are the first demonstration that abnormal feedback occurs at the level of the brain rather than pituitary in depressed patients, and suggest a decreased sensitivity to glucocorticoid fast feedback in depression patients.
Archives of General PsychiatrySerotonin and the Neurobiology of Depression
287 Citations1994Pedro L. Delgado
That tryptophan depletion did not rapidly worsen depression argues that serotonin function is not linearly related to the level of depression and if reduced serotonin function does cause depression, then it is either as predisposing factor or due to a postsynaptic deficit in the utilization of serotonin.
Biological PsychiatrySerotonin receptor binding in a colony model of chronic social stress
283 Citations1995Christina R. McKittrick, D. Caroline Blanchard +3 more
Male rats housed in mixed-sex groups quickly established dominance hierarchies in which subordinates appeared severely stressed, leading to the classification of subordinates as either stress-responsive or nonresponsive, and the results are discussed in the context of regulation of the serotonergic system by stress and glucocorticoids.
The British Journal of PsychiatryThe Relationship of Anxiety and Depression: A Review of the Literature
275 Citations1986Chrissoula Stavrakaki, Beverley Vargo
The nature of the relationship between anxiety and depression has been much debated and the major areas of research—phenomenological, treatment, course and outcome—are considered and findings in support of each position reviewed.
The LancetTRYPTOPHAN IN THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION
274 Citations1967Alec Coppen, DavidM. Shaw +2 more
The patients given tryptophan and a monoamine-oxidase inhibitor tended to show a greater improvement than those treated by tryPTophan alone, and the addition of potassium and carbohydrate may also enhance the antidepressive activity of tryptophile and a Monoamine-Oxidase inhibitors.
Biological Psychiatry5HT2 receptor changes in major depression
267 Citations1990M. Yates, A. Leake +4 more
The 5HT2 receptor has been studied using quantitative tritium film autoradiography in the postmortem frontal cortex of 15 cases suffering from major depression and controls, matched for age, gender, postmortem delay, and storage time.
Journal of Affective DisordersDenosologization of biological psychiatry or the specificity of 5-HT disturbances in psychiatric disorders
265 Citations1987Henriette van Praag
The evolution of 5-HT research in psychiatry illustrates the importance of the functional approach, implying dissection of a given psychopathological syndrome in its component parts, i.e., the psychological dysfunctions, and searching for correlations between biological and psychological Dysfunctions.
Histochemistry and Cell BiologySynaptic interaction of serotonergic axons and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) synthesizing neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus of the rat
257 Citations1987Zsolt Liposits, Clyde F. Phelix +1 more
The findings indicate that the central serotonergic neuronal system can influence the function of the pituitary-adrenal endocrine axis via a direct action upon the hypophysiotrophic CRF synthesizing neurons.
The British Journal of PsychiatryDexamethasone Suppression Test in Depression and other Psychiatric Illness
256 Citations1983Alec Coppen, M.T. Abou‐Saleh +4 more
The prevalence of an abnormal response to the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was examined in 119 in-patients suffering from a major depressive disorder and in 79 normal controls.
Behavioral and Neural BiologyNeurochemical basis of the action of antidepressants on learned helplessness
255 Citations1980Arnold D. Sherman, Frederick Petty
The reversal of learned helplessness by cortical desipramine restored a deficit in septal release of serotonin and could be prevented by administration of bicuculline into the hippocampus but not the lateral geniculate body, consistent with two types of desipamine-sensitive cells, one regulating a GABA-modulatedrelease of serotonin in the septum, and the other regulating a inhibitory release of norepinephrine in the hippocampus.
Brain ResearchEnhancement of some 5-HT-dependent behavioural responses following repeated immobilization in rats
251 Citations1985G.A. Kennett, Stephen L. Dickinson +1 more
Nature5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid Levels in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of Depressive Patients treated with Probenecid
249 Citations1970H. M. van Praag, Jakob Korf +1 more
In suicide victims the cerebral concentration of indoleamines proved to differ from that in a control group and, according to Shaw et al.12, the 5-HT concentrations were diminished, and Bourne etAl.13 were unable to corroborate this but did find a diminished concentration of 5-HIAA.
Life SciencesCorrelations between aminergic metabolites simultaneously obtained from human CSF and brain
246 Citations1985Michael Stanley, Lil Träskman‐Bendz +1 more
Findings suggest that determinations of 5-HIAA and HVA in CSF from living individuals may reflect brain metabolite levels as well as the functional activity of these specific neuronal systems.
PsychopharmacologyThe effect of tryptophan depletion and enhancement on subjective and behavioural aggression in normal male subjects
243 Citations1995Anthony J. Cleare, Alyson J. Bond
It is concluded that, in those with pre-existing aggressive traits, acute falls in central 5-HT can cause increased subjective and objective aggression, while rises can have the opposite effect.
Psychiatry ResearchInterrelationships among anxiety, aggression, impulsivity, and mood: A serotonergically linked cluster?
226 Citations1990Alan Apter, H. M. van Praag +4 more
Findings support the additional hypothesis that biological markers may be more closely related to basic psychological dimensions than to nosological categories.
International Clinical PsychopharmacologyImpulsive aggression and central serotonergic system function in humans
224 Citations1992Emil F. Coccaro
The results of these studies suggest that reduced overall central 5‐HT function in the limbic‐hypothalamic system is associated with suicidal and/or impulsive aggressive behaviors in patients with major mood and/ or personality disorders and that diminished 5-HT post‐synaptic receptor function in this brain region may be an important biological correlate of these behaviors.
Brain ResearchBrain 5-HT2 receptor binding sites in depressed suicide victims
223 Citations1988Sharon C. Cheetham, M. Rufus Crompton +2 more
The present study of suicide victims with definite evidence of depression do not confirm previous studies of increased numbers of 5-HT2 binding sites in suicide victims and suggest that these previous findings may be related to factors other than depression.
Biological PsychiatryPlatelet serotonin-2 receptor binding sites in depression and suicide
215 Citations1990Ghanshyam N. Pandey, Subhash C. Pandey +3 more
Increased platelet 5HT2 receptors in depression, but much more so in depressed patients with suicidal ideation or attempts is indicated.
Archives of General PsychiatryAdrenal Gland Volume in Major Depression
210 Citations1995Robert T. Rubín
Adrenal gland enlargement occurring during an episode of major depression appears to be state-dependent, in that it reverts to the normal size range during remission after treatment, and it thus does not appear to be an index of cumulative lifetime depression.
Brain ResearchStress and antidepressant effects on hippocampal and cortical 5-HT1A and 5-HT2 receptors and transport sites for serotonin
187 Citations1993Yoshifumi Watanabe, Randall R. Sakai +2 more
The surprising finding of a similar effect of both drugs to reduce serotonin transporter sites labelled by [3H]paroxetine suggest the possibility of a common action for these two drugs in spite of their opposite effects on serotonin re-uptake.
Journal of Affective DisordersBiochemical markers in suicidal patientsInvestigations with cerebrospinal fluid amine metabolites and neuroendocrine tests
185 Citations1984C. Banki, M. Arató +2 more
Female psychiatric patients, suffering from major depression, schizophrenia, alcohol dependence or adjustment disorder, were investigated for their 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, homovanillic acid and cortisol level in the cerebrospinal fluid, and it seems relevant to explore further the biological background of human aggression and suicide as a separate research direction.
SynapseAutoradiographic quantification of serotonin<sub>1A</sub> receptors in rat brain following antidepressant drug treatment
182 Citations1989Sharon A. Welner, Claude de Montigny +3 more
Results are fully consistent with previous electrophysiological and behavioral studies and suggest that alterations of 5‐HT1A receptors might underlie the enhancement of5‐HT neurotransmission by antidepressant treatments.
American Journal of PsychiatryDemonstration in vivo of reduced serotonin responsivity in the brain of untreated depressed patients [published erratum appears in Am J Psychiatry 1996 Apr;153(4):588]
182 Citations1996J. John Mann, Kevin Malone +4 more
This study provides the first direct visualization of blunted regional brain responses to serotonin release in the brain of patients with major depression, a finding that supports the hypothesis of impaired serotonergic transmission in depression.
Biological PsychiatryAdverse early experiences affect noradrenergic and serotonergic functioning in adult primates
180 Citations1994L.A. Rosenblum, Jeremy D. Coplan +4 more
The long-term effects of the developmental environment on subsequent pharmacological responsivity suggest that both neuronal systems may be permanently altered by early experiential factors.
Molecular EndocrinologyType I and Type II Corticosteroid Receptor Gene Expression in the Rat: Effect of Adrenalectomy and Dexamethasone Administration
180 Citations1989Johannes M. H. M. Reul, P. Pearce +2 more
Using 32P-labeled cRNA probes directed against Type I and Type II receptor mRNA to screen various tissues, and investigating the effect of adrenalectomy and dexamethasone administration on their levels in hippocampus found Type I mRNA to be high in hippocampus, colon, and heart; low in liver; and undetectable in thymus.
American Journal of PsychiatryCorrelation of CSF 5-HIAA concentration with sociality and the timing of emigration in free-ranging primates
176 Citations1995Patrick T. Mehlman, J. Dee Higley +6 more
In adolescent male rhesus macaques living in naturalistic settings, CSF 5-HIAA concentration is positively correlated with affiliative sociality, and Rhesus males with low CSF 4-HiaA concentrations exhibit less social competence and emigrate from their social groups at a younger age than do males with higher concentrations of CSF5- HIAA.
The British Journal of PsychiatryMonoamines and Abnormal Behaviour a Multi-Aminergic Perspective
175 Citations1990H. M. van Praag, Gregory M. Asnis +5 more
Signs of diminished DA, 5-HT and NA metabolism, as have been found in psychiatric disorders, are not disorder-specific, but rather are related to psychopathological dimensions independent of the nosological framework in which these dysfunctions occur.
Life SciencesIncreased serotonin2 (5-HT2) receptor binding as measured by 3H-lysergic acid diethylamide (3H-LSD) in the blood platelets of depressed patients
175 Citations1989Ramesh Arora, Herbert Y. Meltzer
3H-Lysergic acid diethylamide binding, a putative measure of 5-HT2 receptor binding, was studied in the blood platelets of 29 depressed patients and 24 normal controls and the Bmax was significantly greater than that of normal volunteers.
NeuroendocrinologyHypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical Axis Changes in the Rat after Long-Term Treatment with the Reversible Monoamine Oxidase-A Inhibitor Moclobemide
174 Citations2008Johannes M. H. M. Reul, Marta Labeur +3 more
Moclobemide has a concerted influence on multiple elements of the HPA axis manifesting functionally as a reduced neuroendocrine responsiveness to stress, postulate that an adjustement of HPAaxis activity may be regarded as a common denominator for clinically efficacious antidepressant drugs.
European Journal of Pharmacology Molecular PharmacologyCorticosterone suppresses the expression of 5-HT1A receptor mRNA in rat dentate gyrus
173 Citations1994Onno C. Meijer, E. R. de Kloet
The data suggest an involvement of the mineralocorticoid receptor in the regulation of the 5-HT1A receptor mRNA and a possible synergistic effect of additional glucocortioid receptor activation.
Brain ResearchSerotonin release varies with brain tryptophan levels
169 Citations1990Judith D. Schaechter, Richard J. Wurtman
It is demonstrated for the first time that both precursor-dependent elevations and reductions in brain serotonin levels produce proportionate changes in serotonin release, and that the magnitude of the tryptophan effect is unrelated to neuronal firing frequency.
American Journal of PsychiatryProdromal symptoms in affective disorders
169 Citations1991Giovanni A. Fava, R. Kellner
The appearance of prodromal symptoms may precede the full syndrome by weeks or months; if these symptoms are detected, recurrences of affective disorders could be treated earlier and perhaps more effectively.
Psychiatry ResearchActing out hostility in normal volunteers: Negative correlation with levels of 5HIAA in cerebrospinal fluid
168 Citations1988Alec Roy, Bryon Adinoff +1 more
Among normal individuals reduced central serotonergic tone may be associated with impaired impulse control and there was a significant negative correlation between CSF 5HIAA levels and scores on the "urge to act out hostility" subscale.
PsychopharmacologyBrain 5-HT1 binding sites in depressed suicides
163 Citations1990Sharon C. Cheetham, M. Rufus Crompton +2 more
The present results, together with previous studies, provide no evidence of altered cortical 5-HT markers in depressed suicides, but further emphasise abnormalities in the hippocampus.
PharmacopsychiatryThe Concentration of Neurotransmitter Metabolites in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of Suicidal Individuals: a Meta-Analysis
161 Citations1995David Lester
A review of 27 research reports on the cerebrospinal fluid levels of neurotransmitter metabolites involving 1202 psychiatric patients found strong evidence for the involvement of the serotonin system in suicidal behavior.
Biological Psychiatry5-HT1A receptor responsivity in unipolar depression Evaluation of ipsapirone-induced ACTH and cortisol secretion in patients and controls
160 Citations1990Klaus‐Peter Lesch, Simone Mayer +5 more
The impaired HPA response following 5-HT1A receptor challenge in unipolar depression could have resulted from glucocorticoid-dependent subsensitivity of the (post-synaptic) 5- HT1A receptors itself and/or from a defective postreceptor signaling pathway [inhibitory guanine nucleotide-binding protein (Gi)-adenylate cyclase complex function], thus supporting the hypothesis that a disintegrated 5/HPA system interaction may be present in depression.
Psychiatry ResearchRepeated administration of the combined dexamethasone-human corticotropin releasing hormone stimulation test during treatment of depression
157 Citations1991Edith Holsboer‐Trachsler, Rudolf Stohler +1 more
The combined dexamethasone/h-CRH challenge test may be of particular value in the detection of state-dependent changes of pituitary-adrenocortical neuroregulation in patients with major depression.
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral ReviewsAntidepressant-like behavioral effects of serotonin receptor agonists
149 Citations1994Irwin Lucki, Ashish Singh +1 more
Two approaches are reviewed in this paper that address the neurochemical mediation of the therapeutic effects of antidepressant drugs from the standpoint of animal behavior and promise to be useful for defining the important pharmacological effects associated with the behavioral effects of antidepressants.
Journal of Neural TransmissionSerotonergic measures in suicide brain: 5-HT1A binding sites in frontal cortex of suicide victims
147 Citations1991Shin Matsubara, Ramesh Arora +1 more
European Journal of Pharmacology5-HT1A receptors in the median raphe nucleus and dorsal hippocampus may mediate anxiolytic and anxiogenic behaviours respectively
145 Citations1994Nick Andrews, Sandy Hogg +2 more
It is demonstrated that 5-HT1A somatodendritic autoreceptors and post-synaptic receptors mediate anxiolytic and anxiogenic effects, respectively, in the social interaction test of anxiety.
EndocrinologyChronic treatment of rats with the antidepressant amitriptyline attenuates the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system
144 Citations1993Johannes M. H. M. Reul
European Journal of PharmacologyNeuronal circuits involved in the anxiolytic effects of the 5-HT1A receptor agonists 8-OH-DPAT, ipsapirone and buspirone in the rat
139 Citations1993Rudy Schreiber, Jean De Vry
It is suggested that both presynaptic and (possibly to a lesser extent) postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors are involved in the anxiolytic effects of ipsapirone, buspirone, and 8-OH-DPAT.
PubMedThe Harold E. Himwich Memorial Lecture. Significance of biochemical parameters in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of depressive disorders.
135 Citations1977Hm Vanpraag
It is plausible that disorders of the 5-HT metabolism play a role in the pathogenesis of depression, instead of resulting from them, and suggests that the group of vital depression is heterogenous in biochemical terms.
American Journal of PsychiatryKetoconazole administration in hypercortisolemic depression
134 Citations1993Owen M. Wolkowitz, Victor I. Reus +4 more
Ketoconazole, an antiglucocorticoid drug, was administered to 10 hypercortisolemic depressed patients for up to 6 weeks and three patients dropped out because of side effects or intercurrent illness.
Journal of Affective Disorders5-HT receptor binding in post-mortem brain from patients with affective disorder
133 Citations1987Ian G. McKeith
An increase in postsynaptic 5- HT2 receptor binding in major affective disorder is a possible pathophysiological mechanism which is compatible with the observed down-regulatory effect of antidepressant drugs (although not electroconvulsive therapy) on 5-HT2 sites.
PsychopharmacologyA neuroendocrine study of 5HT function in depression: evidence for biological mechanisms of endogenous and psychosocial causation
132 Citations1990J.F.W. Deakin, Ian Pennell +2 more
Blunted GH andPRL responses to LTP appear to be distinct abnormalities in depression which may relate to two processes; (1), an endogenous mechanism indicated by reduced GH responses, and (2), an impairment in 5HT systems, indicated by blunted PRL responses and perhaps caused by raised circulating cortisol or reduced tryptophan concentrations.
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental TherapeuticsAlterations of central serotoninergic and dopaminergic neurotransmission in rats chronically treated with ipsapirone: biochemical and electrophysiological studies.
132 Citations1990Lee E. Schechter, F. J. Bolaños +6 more
It is demonstrated that chronically administered ipsapirone produces adaptive changes in central serotoninergic neurotransmission which might account for the anxiolytic and antidepressant properties of this drug after sustained treatment, as well as a desensitization of the somatodendritic 5-HT1A receptors.
Journal of Affective DisordersTreatment of Major Depression with metyrapone and hydrocortisone
128 Citations1995Anne-Marie O’Dwyer, Stafford L. Lightman +2 more
This placebo-controlled study replicates the results of several uncontrolled studies but leaves open for further study the mechanism by which the combined administration of metyrapone and hydrocortisone might exert its antidepressant effect.
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental TherapeuticsAre postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors involved in the anxiolytic effects of 5-HT1A receptor agonists and in their inhibitory effects on the firing of serotonergic neurons in the rat?
128 Citations1995Thierry Jolas, Robert D. Schreiber +6 more
Data indicated that postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors were not responsible for the inhibitory effects of 8-OH-DPAT and ipsapirone injected in forebrain areas on the electrical activity of serotonergic neurons and the USV response in rats.
American Journal of PsychiatryDexamethasone for the treatment of depression: a randomized, placebo- controlled, double-blind trial
127 Citations1995George W. Arana, Alberto B. Santos +7 more
A brief course of oral dexamethasone (4 days) was significantly more effective than placebo within 14 days for the treatment of depression in a randomized, double-blind study of depressed outpatients.
Biological PsychiatryHuman corticotropin-releasing hormone in depression—correlation with thyrotropin secretion following thyrotropin-releasing hormone
127 Citations1986F. Holsboer, A. Gerken +5 more
The concordance between ACTH and TSH responses after specific challenges suggests that regulation of both systems is at least in part under a common control, and supports the view that hypercortisolism in depression is primarily due to a suprapituitary disturbance.
Journal of Clinical PsychopharmacologyResponse to Steroid Suppression in Major Depression
126 Citations1991Beverley E. Pearson Murphy, VEENA DHAR +3 more
Some evidence is provided that steroids are involved in the maintenance of major depression, and that their suppression may lead to a readjustment of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis with remission of the depression.
PsychopharmacologyEffect of ACTH, adrenalectomy and the combination treatment on the density of 5-HT2 receptor binding sites in neocortex of rat forebrain and 5-HT2 receptor-mediated wet-dog shake behaviors
125 Citations1992Yasukazu Kuroda, Masahiko Mikuni +2 more
Results indicate that subchronic adrenocorticotropinadrenal axis activation of rats increases both the number of 5-HT2 receptors in neocortex of forebrain and the wet-dog shake responses induced by (±)DOI.
Brain ResearchDominant social status facilitates the behavioral effects of serotonergic agonists
122 Citations1985Michael J. Raleigh, Gary L. Brammer +2 more
The effects of dominance rank on the behavioral responses to drugs that enhance central serotonergic function were examined in 45 adult male vervet monkeys and suggest that dominant and subordinate males differ in the drug sensitivity of theirserotonergic systems.
Psychiatry Research NeuroimagingSPECT imaging of serotonin2 receptors in depression
121 Citations1992Hugo D’Haenen, Axel Bossuyt +4 more
A higher uptake of the tracer was observed in the parietal cortex of the patients, and there was a right greater than left asymmetry in the infero-frontal region of the depressed subjects and not in that of the control subjects, which could indicate changes in 5HT2 receptors in major depression.
Biological PsychiatryBrain 5-HT1A, 5-HT1D, and 5-HT2 Receptors in suicide victims
120 Citations1994Belén Arranz, Anders Eriksson +3 more
No difference in maximum binding (Bmax) or binding affinity (Kd) was found between the control and overall suicide groups for the binding sites studied, but the drug overdose subgroup showed a significant decrease in the 5-HT1A binding affinity.
Biological PsychiatryCortisol synthesis inhibition: A new treatment strategy for the clinical and endocrine manifestations of depression
118 Citations1995Jogin H. Thakore, Timothy G. Dinan
Acta Psychiatrica ScandinavicaResistance to inhibiting effect of dexamethasone in patients with endogenous depression
118 Citations1980J. L. Nuller, M.N. Ostroumova
Pharmacology Biochemistry and BehaviorEffects of serotonergic agents on isolation-induced aggression
107 Citations1991Sheryl M. White, Robert F. Kucharik +1 more
Activity at the 5-HT1A receptor, and possibly nonsedative anxiolytic activity, appears to be related to antagonism of isolation-induced aggression.
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews5-HT1A receptor influences on rodent social and agonistic behavior: A review and empirical study
106 Citations1994Robert Bell, Helen Hobson
Results corroborate previous findings with respect to 5-HT1A receptor involvement in murine agonistic behavior and anxiety and connote that the behavioral specificity of 5- HT1A ligands should be interpreted in terms of response competition rather than solely concomitant sedation.
Developmental Brain ResearchOntogeny of Type I and Type II corticosteroid receptors in the rat hippocampus
102 Citations1988Patricia Rosenfeld, Winardi Sutanto +2 more
The binding affinity of Type II to CORT was high during the first week of life but decreased thereafter towards adult value, suggesting clear distinctions in the developmental patterns of Type I and Type II receptors for corticosteroids in the rat.
Brain ResearchBrain 5-HT2 receptors in suicide victims: violence of death, depression and effects of antidepressant treatment
98 Citations1994Sandra Lowther, Freddy De Paermentier +3 more
There were no significant differences in the number of 5-HT2 binding sites between suicides and controls in any brain region within the total suicide group or when suicides were divided on the basis of violence of death.
Pharmacology Biochemistry and BehaviorSerotonergic control of androgen-induced dominance
97 Citations1994Katherine R. Bonson, Robert G. Johnson +3 more
Serotonergic systems may play an important role in the control of anabolic steroid-induced aggressive dominance as well as the antidominant effect of morphine, according to the data.
European Journal of PharmacologyIsolation-induced aggression in mice: effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake inhibitors and involvement of postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors
97 Citations1994Connie Sánchez, John Hyttel
Selective 5-HT uptake inhibitors act in different ways on isolation-induced aggressive behaviour, and postsynaptic 5- HT1A receptors are involved in mediating the aggressive behaviour.
…