Prolonged secretion of cortisol as a possible mechanism underlying stress and depressive behaviour

Citations Over TimeTop 23% of 2016 papers

Abstract

Stress is associated with the onset of depressive episodes, and cortisol hypersecretion is considered a biological risk factor of depression. However, the possible mechanisms underlying stress, cortisol and depressive behaviours are inconsistent in the literature. This study examined the interrelationships among stress, cortisol and observed depressive behaviours in female rhesus macaques for the first time and explored the possible mechanism underlying stress and depressive behaviour. Female monkeys were video-recorded, and the frequencies of life events and the duration of huddling were analysed to measure stress and depressive behaviour. Hair samples were used to measure chronic cortisol levels, and the interactions between stress and cortisol in the development of depressive behaviour were further evaluated. Significant correlations were found between stress and depressive behaviour measures and between cortisol levels and depressive behaviour. Stress was positively correlated with cortisol levels, and these two factors interacted with each other to predict the monkeys' depressive behaviours. This finding extends the current understanding of stress/cortisol interactions in depression, especially pertaining to females.

Related Papers

• → Increased Risk Taking in Relation to Chronic Stress in Adults(2016)44 cited
• → The impact of chronic stress on the predictors of acute stress-induced eating in women(2018)42 cited
• → Cellular response to chronic psychosocial stress: Ten-year longitudinal changes in telomere length in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis(2019)30 cited
• → Individual housing does not influence the adaptation of the pituitary-adrenal axis and other physiological variables to chronic stress in adult male rats(1989)53 cited
• Research Progress on Hair Cortisol as Evaluation Indicators of Chronic Stress(2015)