Abstract
Psychoneuroendocrine research over the past two decades has provided clear evidence that clinical depression is frequently associated with hypersecretion of ACTH and cortisol. As a parent abnormality of this phenomenon, the resistance of ACTH and cortisol to the suppressive effect of dexamethasone was detected. This neuroendocrine probe (dexamethasone suppression test, DST) has received considerable interest as a validator of nosological concepts, a laboratory test to monitor clinical progress, and an ancillary aid for treatment selection. More recently, the availability of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) has enabled researchers to study more closely the pathophysiology underlying altered regulation of the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (LHPA) system. This overview highlights some of these new developments.
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© 1989 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
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Holsboer, F. (1989). Pathophysiology of the Limbic-Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenocortex System: An Overview. In: Lerer, B., Gershon, S. (eds) New Directions in Affective Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3524-8_55
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3524-8_55
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
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