Effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment on plasma oxytocin and cortisol in major depressive disorder

BMC Psychiatry

Research Article

Alan J Tilbrook¹  Tye Dawood²  Gavin W Lambert³  David A Barton⁴  Charlotte Keating⁵ 

[1] Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia;South Australian Research and Development Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia;Human Neurotransmitters Laboratory, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia;Human Neurotransmitters Laboratory, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia;Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia;Human Neurotransmitters Laboratory, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia;Mental Health Program, Southern Health, Melbourne, Australia;Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Central Clinical School, Monash University and The Alfred, Melbourne, Australia;Brain and Psychological Sciences Research Centre, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia;

关键词: Major depressive disorder;    Oxytocin;    Cortisol;    Hypothalamopuitary adrenal axis;    SSRI;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-244X-13-124

 received in 2012-11-21, accepted in 2013-04-23,  发布年份 2013

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundOxytocin is known for its capacity to facilitate social bonding, reduce anxiety and for its actions on the stress hypothalamopituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. Since oxytocin can physiologically suppress activity of the HPA axis, clinical applications of this neuropeptide have been proposed in conditions where the function of the HPA axis is dysregulated. One such condition is major depressive disorder (MDD). Dysregulation of the HPA system is the most prominent endocrine change seen with MDD, and normalizing the HPA axis is one of the major targets of recent treatments. The potential clinical application of oxytocin in MDD requires improved understanding of its relationship to the symptoms and underlying pathophysiology of MDD. Previous research has investigated potential correlations between oxytocin and symptoms of MDD, including a link between oxytocin and treatment related symptom reduction. The outcomes of studies investigating whether antidepressive treatment (pharmacological and non-pharmacological) influences oxytocin concentrations in MDD, have produced conflicting outcomes. These outcomes suggest the need for an investigation of the influence of a single treatment class on oxytocin concentrations, to determine whether there is a relationship between oxytocin, the HPA axis (e.g., oxytocin and cortisol) and MDD. Our objective was to measure oxytocin and cortisol in patients with MDD before and following treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRI.MethodWe sampled blood from arterial plasma. Patients with MDD were studied at the same time twice; pre- and post- 12 weeks treatment, in an unblinded sequential design (clinicaltrials.govNCT00168493).ResultsResults did not reveal differences in oxytocin or cortisol concentrations before relative to following SSRI treatment, and there were no significant relationships between oxytocin and cortisol, or these two physiological variables and psychological symptom scores, before or after treatment.ConclusionsThese outcomes demonstrate that symptoms of MDD were reduced following effective treatment with an SSRI, and further, stress physiology was unlikely to be a key factor in this outcome. Further research is required to discriminate potential differences in underlying stress physiology for individuals with MDD who respond to antidepressant treatment, relative to those who experience treatment resistance.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Keating et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2013