Leonard Brian E, Myint Ayemu
Pharmacology Department, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
Hum Psychopharmacol. 2009 Apr;24(3):165-75. doi: 10.1002/hup.1011.
Chronic stress, by initiating changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the immune system, acts as a trigger for anxiety and depression. There is experimental and clinical evidence that the rise in the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines and glucocorticoids, which occurs in a chronically stressful situation and also in depression, contribute to the behavioural changes associated with depression. A defect in serotonergic function is associated with these hormonal and immune changes. Neurodegenerative changes in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and amygdalae are the frequent outcome of the changes in the HPA axis and the immune system. Such changes may provide evidence for the link between chronic depression and dementia in later life.
慢性应激通过引发下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴和免疫系统的变化，成为焦虑和抑郁的诱因。有实验和临床证据表明，在慢性应激状态以及抑郁症中出现的促炎细胞因子和糖皮质激素浓度升高，会导致与抑郁症相关的行为变化。血清素能功能缺陷与这些激素和免疫变化有关。海马体、前额叶皮质和杏仁核的神经退行性变化是HPA轴和免疫系统变化的常见结果。这些变化可能为晚年慢性抑郁症与痴呆症之间的联系提供证据。
