RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ERYTHROCYTE MAGNESIUM, PLASMA ELECTROLYTES AND CORTISOL, AND INTENSITY OF SYMPTOMS IN MAJOR DEPRESSED-PATIENTS

53 male and female drug-free major depressed patients were separated i nto three groups according to the severity of the depression. In the e ntire regrouped population, plasma and erythrocyte magnesium (Mg) were shown to increase as compared with 48 healthy controls, confirming ou r previous studies. The middle and highly depressed patients had highe r erythrocyte and also plasma Mg levels than either lowly depressed pa tients or controls. Only, a few differences were noticed in plasma sod ium, potassium and calcium (Ca) in the three groups of patients, excep t for ultrafiltrable plasma Ca, measured for the first time in affecti ve disorders. Thus, erythrocyte and also plasma Mg are shown to be ass ociated with the intensity of the depression. As blood hypomagnaesemia is often related to hyperexcitabiltiy, further investigations are act ually in process to shown whether hypermagnesaemia might be, in contra st, associated with psychomotor retardation as observed in many depres sed patients.