Psychol Med. 2010 Jan;40(1):1-4. doi: 10.1017/S0033291709005558.
Salivary cortisol sampling has confirmed the presence of increased cortisol secretion in depression and has also revealed that some aspects of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis disturbance have trait-like characteristics that may predict the risk of future illness. Persistent hypersecretion of cortisol in individuals vulnerable to depression also has implications for the medical co-morbidities associated with mood disorder. Pharmacological treatments targeted at the HPA axis represent a novel approach to the management of depression and its complications; however, a better understanding of the molecular basis of HPA axis dysfunction in depressed patients will be needed before this promise can be fulfilled.
唾液皮质醇采样已证实抑郁症患者皮质醇分泌增加，还揭示了下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴紊乱的某些方面具有类似特征，可以预测未来患病的风险。易患抑郁症的个体中皮质醇持续过度分泌也与心境障碍相关的合并症有关。针对 HPA 轴的药物治疗代表了一种治疗抑郁症及其并发症的新方法；然而，在这一前景得以实现之前，还需要进一步了解抑郁症患者 HPA 轴功能障碍的分子基础。
