INCREASED SERUM-SOLUBLE CD8 OR SUPPRESSOR CYTOTOXIC ANTIGEN CONCENTRATIONS IN DEPRESSION - SUPPRESSIVE EFFECTS OF GLUCOCORTICOIDS/

There is now some evidence that depression and, in particular, major d epression, is accompanied by signs of an immune response, and that the re are reciprocal relationships between immune function and increased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity in depression. To f urther examine the above phenomena, this study has assayed serum solub le CD8 (sCD8) concentrations in 22 normal controls, 27 minor depressed , 37 major depressed, and 26 melancholic depressed patients. Serum sCD 8 was significantly higher in depressed patients versus normal control s. Thirty-jive percent of the depressed subjects had increased sCD8 se rum levels (i.e., > 560 U/mL) with a specificity of 95.4%. Dexamethaso ne administration (1 mg PO) had a significant suppressive effect on se rum sCD8. In depressed. subjects, there were significant and negative relationships between serum sCD8 and postdexamethasone cortisol values . The results suggest the presence of an ongoing lymphocyte activation in depression, which may be down-regulated by increased HPA axis acti vity in that illness. (C) 1996 M. Maes et al