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Glucocorticoids and relapse of major depression (dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing hormone test in relation to relapse of major depression)
Plain-language guide to PMID 16368077 (2006): double-blind randomized controlled trial study of ACTH (Corticotropin) and CRH (Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone).
Key Facts
- PMID
- 16368077
- Journal
- Biological psychiatry
- Year
- 2006
- Study type
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Authors
- Appelhof BC et al. (10 authors)
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.09.008
What This Study Did, in Plain Language
What Was Tested
The paper reports a study of ACTH (Corticotropin) and CRH (Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone), published as a randomized controlled trial.
Knowledge of pathogenic mechanisms and predictors of relapse in major depressive disorder is still limited.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis dysregulation is thought to be related to the development and course of depression.
Who Took Part
By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were teenagers, adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.
The researchers investigated whether dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing hormone (DEX/CRH) test parameters were related to the occurrence of relapse in 45 outpatients with clinically remitted major depression.
The DEX/CRH test was administered before and after 8 weeks of antidepressant treatment.
How the Study Was Run
The design is described as randomized and double-blind.
Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got ACTH (Corticotropin) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.
Blinding on both sides kept the participants and researchers unaware of who received ACTH (Corticotropin).
The timeline in the abstract includes 8 weeks.
What Was Measured
Topics PubMed links to this paper include Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone, Major Depressive Disorder, Dexamethasone, Glucocorticoids, Hydrocortisone and Paroxetine.
What This Means in Plain Language
The paper is a randomized and double-blind study of ACTH (Corticotropin) and CRH (Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone) over 8 weeks.
The abstract goes on to report its results in about 3 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.
The publication is from 2006 (Biological psychiatry), a journal based in United States.
More context: the ACTH (Corticotropin) compound page and the CRH (Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone) compound page, all human trials.
Our Notes on the Compounds
ACTH (Corticotropin): The 39-amino-acid pituitary hormone that drives cortisol production; given as repository corticotropin (Acthar Gel).
CRH (Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone): The 41-amino-acid hypothalamic hormone that triggers ACTH release; corticorelin is used diagnostically.
Related Pages
Source: PubMed record. This explanation is written by PeptideWhiz from the public record. For research and education only. Not medical advice; no dosing information is given.