Weller E B, Weller R A, Fristad M A, Preskorn S H, Teare M
J Clin Psychiatry. 1985 Dec;46(12):511-3.
The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was performed in 50 hospitalized prepubertal children who met DSM-III criteria for major depressive episode, 18 hospitalized controls with a psychiatric disorder, and 18 nonhospitalized normal controls. Baseline and post-DST cortisol levels were measured at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. The depressed children had consistently higher cortisol levels than the controls at baseline and post-DST. The DST was positive in 82% of depressed children, 28% of psychiatric controls, and 11% of normal controls. The results indicate that prepubertal depressed children may have abnormalities in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis similar to those in adults with a major depressive illness.
对50名符合《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》第三版（DSM-III）中重度抑郁发作标准的住院青春期前儿童、18名患有精神疾病的住院对照儿童以及18名非住院正常对照儿童进行了地塞米松抑制试验（DST）。于上午8点和下午4点测量基线及DST后的皮质醇水平。抑郁儿童在基线及DST后皮质醇水平始终高于对照儿童。82%的抑郁儿童、28%的精神疾病对照儿童以及11%的正常对照儿童DST结果呈阳性。结果表明，青春期前抑郁儿童可能存在与成年重度抑郁患者类似的下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴异常。
