Psychosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Psychosis, including details on clinical depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder.

HPA axis functioning associated with transition to psychosis: combined DEX/CRH test.

Thompson KN, Berger G, Phillips LJ, Komesaroff P, Purcell R, McGorry PD

ORYGEN Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Poplar Road, Locked Bag 10, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.

We investigated functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in 12 young people at ultra high risk for developing psychosis, using the combined dexamethasone corticotrophin releasing hormone (DEX/CRH) test. Over a two year period, three of the 12 participants developed an acute psychosis. Descriptive analysis of the data indicated that contrary to expectations, participants who did not make the transition to psychosis had on average higher cortisol levels at the latter stages of the test, as well as a greater severity of depression and anxiety symptoms, than participants who subsequently developed psychosis. These preliminary results suggest that dysregulated HPA-axis functioning in individuals at high risk for psychosis may be associated more with comorbid depression symptoms than factors specifically related to the process of emerging psychosis illness.

Published 7 February 2007 in J Psychiatr Res, 41(5): 446-50.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Psychosis Research Today. All Rights Reserved.