A single DEX/CRH test in male drug-free depressed patients is associated with the clinical response to treatment with fluoxetine

Georgios Paslakis*, Isabella Heuser, Ulrich Schweiger, Michael Deuschle

*Corresponding author for this work
14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objectives: The DEX/CRH test has been proposed to be suitable as a biomarker for the prediction of treatment response in depression. Methods: We performed the DEX/CRH test in 10 severely depressed male patients with melancholic features before initiation of antidepressant treatment with 20 mg fluoxetine. Results: We found a low cortisol response (as measured by cortisol AUC) to a single DEX/CRH test to be associated with clinical response to treatment. Conclusions: A strength of this study lies in the inclusion of patients after a drug wash-out phase. Despite a certain inconsistency described in the literature, several studies support the notion that it might be of importance to measure baseline HPA system activity before choice of treatment. Further systematic studies are warranted.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Psychiatric Research
Volume44
Issue number16
Pages (from-to)1154-1157
Number of pages4
ISSN0022-3956
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 12.2010

Research Areas and Centers

  • Academic Focus: Center for Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM)

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