AN AUGMENTED ESCAPE OF ANDROSTENEDIONE FROM SUPPRESSION BY DEXAMETHASONE IN MELANCHOLIA - RELATIONSHIPS TO INTACT ACTH AND CORTISOL NONSUPPRESSION

To further examine the association between basal and postdexamethasone (DST) pituitary and adrenal activity in depression, the authors measu red intact adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), androstenedione and cor tisol, both in baseline and post-DST conditions,in 63 depressed subjec ts (14 minor, 33 simple major and 16 melancholic subjects). It was fou nd that post-DST androstenedione, cortisol and ACTH values were signif icantly higher in melancholic than in minor depressed subjects. There were highly significant correlations between plasma androstenedione an d ACTH both in baseline and post-DST conditions. The significant inter category differences in post-DST androstenedione were determined by di fferences in post-DST ACTH. Basal and post-DST androstenedione values were significantly higher in men than in women and both values were si gnificantly and negatively related to age. There were highly significa nt, positive relationships between cortisol and ACTH and between corti sol and androstenedione both in baseline and post-DST conditions. The results corroborate our hypotheses that, in depression, pituitary (ACT H) and adrenal (cortisol and androstenedione) hormonal secretion are t ightly coupled in post-DST conditions and that the augmented escape of ACTH-target hormones in melancholia is, in part, related to that of p ituitary ACTH.