Department of Psychiatry University, Firat University, School of Medicine, District Yahya Kemal Street No: 25 23119 Merkez/Elazig, Turkey.
Department of Radiology University, Firat University, School of Medicine, District Yahya Kemal Street No: 25 23119 Merkez/Elazig, Turkey.
Cereb Cortex. 2024 Apr 1;34(4). doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhae148.
The pituitary gland plays an important role in the stress response mechanism. Given the direct link between adjustment disorder and stress, we hypothesized that there might be changes in the pituitary gland in these patients. The study comprised a patient group of 19 individuals with adjustment disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition, and 18 healthy controls. The mean pituitary gland volumes of the patient group were not statistically significantly different from those of the healthy control group (80.81 ± 1.82 mm3 in patients with adjustment disorder vs. 81.10 ± 7.04 mm3 in healthy controls, with a statistically nonsignificant difference of P > 0.05). This finding is contrary to our previous findings in anxiety-related disorders. In this regard, adjustment disorder is not similar to anxiety-related disorders in terms of pituitary gland volumes. We should also clearly state that our study is a pioneering study and that studies with large samples are needed to support our findings. The limitations of our study can be attributed to the small sample size, the utilization of a cross-sectional design, and the inclusion of patients using psychotropic drugs.
垂体在应激反应机制中起着重要作用。鉴于适应障碍与应激之间存在直接联系，我们假设这些患者的垂体可能会发生变化。该研究包括 19 名符合《精神障碍诊断与统计手册第五版》的适应障碍患者和 18 名健康对照者。患者组的平均垂体体积与健康对照组相比无统计学差异（适应障碍患者为 80.81±1.82mm3，健康对照组为 81.10±7.04mm3，差异无统计学意义，P>0.05）。这一发现与我们之前在焦虑相关障碍中的发现相悖。在这方面，适应障碍在垂体体积方面与焦虑相关障碍不同。我们还应明确指出，我们的研究是一项开创性研究，需要进行更大样本的研究来支持我们的发现。本研究的局限性在于样本量小、采用横断面设计以及纳入使用精神药物的患者。
