A Preliminary Evaluation of Leukocyte Phospho-Glucocorticoid Receptor as a Potential Biomarker of Depressogenic Vulnerability in Healthy Adults.

A preliminary evaluation of leukocyte phospho-glucocorticoid receptor as a potential biomarker of depressogenic vulnerability in healthy adults.

Psychiatry Res. 2013 Mar 7;
Simic I, Adzic M, Maric N, Savic D, Djordjevic J, Mihaljevic M, Mitic M, Pavlovic Z, Soldatovic I, Krstic-Demonacos M, Jasovic-Gasic M, Radojcic M

The mechanism of maladaptive chronic stress response involves altered phosphorylation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). In this study, we investigated if important depressogenic vulnerability factors, such as neuroticism and self-reports of negative affective states, may be associated with alterations in levels of the GR and GR phosphoisoforms in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of healthy adults. In 21 women and 16 men we evaluated PMBC levels of total GR (tGR), GR phosphorylated at serine 211 (pGR-S211) and serine 226 (pGR-S226) and corellated these data with personality traits and current reports of stress, anxiety and depression. Also, we assessed plasma cortisol levels in all tested subjects. Our results showed that in women nulear pGR-S226 was positively correlated with neuroticism and current reports of depression, anxiety and stress, while the ratio of nuclear pGR-S211/pGR-S226 was negatively correlated with reports of depression. None of the aforementioned correlations were significant in men. No significant relations between cortisol levels and any of GR parameters were observed. These preliminary findings highlight the value of GR phosphorylation-related research in identifying molecular biomarkers of depressogenic vulnerability, at least in women. HubMed – depression

Cognition in late onset depression.

Psychiatry Res. 2013 Mar 8;
Pišljar M, Repovš G, Pirtošek Z

The aim of study was to assess cognition in patients with late onset depression in a symptom-free remission period measuring event-related potentials and reaction times (RT) in a modified computer version of the Stroop test. Thirty four patients with late-onset depression were included after they had reached remission. They were compared to age-, gender- and education-matched healthy controls. Each participant completed a single item computer version of the Stroop Color-word task using verbal response mode. EEG and RT were simultaneously recorded. RTs were significantly prolonged in patients in all conditions of the Stroop paradigm, and the interference effect was significantly greater in patients compared to controls. Results also revealed abnormal late positive Stroop related potentials in the period of about 500-600ms period corresponding to the so-called P300b wave. Our study supports the view that patients with late onset depression are also cognitively impaired and that this impairment persists in the period of early remission. Using more sensitive ERP measurement of the Stroop task we demonstrated impaired information processing at an earlier, pre-response related stage. HubMed – depression