Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate Level Varies Nonlinearly with Symptom Severity in Major Depressive Disorder
Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience
;
: 163-169, 2017.
Article
in English
| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-203965
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
The pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) is still not well understood. Conflicting results for surrogate biomarkers in MDD have been reported, which might be a consequence of the heterogeneity of MDD patients. Therefore, we aim to investigate how the severity of depression and various symptom domains are related to the levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-s) in MDD patients.METHODS:
We recruited 117 subjects from a general practice. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Depressive symptoms were divided into three subdomains according to BDI items; somatic symptoms, guilt and failure, and mood and inhibition.RESULTS:
In subjects with very-mild-to-moderate depression, the DHEA-s level increased as BDI score did. However, the DHEA-s levels in the subjects with severe depression were significantly lower than in subjects with moderate depression (p=0.003). DHEA-s level was correlated with the BDI subscore for guilt and failure in very-mild-to-moderate depression (r=0.365, p=0.006).CONCLUSION:
The DHEA-s level appears to be indicative of MDD severity with respect to depressive symptoms, especially regarding guilt and failure. Our findings suggest that the upregulation of DHEA-s may be a part of a compensatory process in very-mild-to-moderate depression, and the failure of this compensation mechanism may underlie the development of severe depression.
Full text:
Available
Index:
WPRIM (Western Pacific)
Main subject:
Population Characteristics
/
Neuroendocrinology
/
Biomarkers
/
Up-Regulation
/
Dehydroepiandrosterone
/
Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate
/
Compensation and Redress
/
Depression
/
Depressive Disorder, Major
/
Diagnosis, Differential
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience
Year:
2017
Type:
Article
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS