Monocyte Sensitivity and Stress-Induced Inflammation and Cortisol in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract

The current study evaluated the relationship between stress-related psychiatric disorders, (major depressive disorder [MDD] or posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) and the glucocorticoid inflammatory response, as well as the sensitivity of immune cells to glucocorticoids. It was hypothesized that participants with more severe cases of PTSD or MDD would exhibit greater inflammatory response (measured as either Interleukin 6 or nuclear factor-κB) to the Trier Social Stress Test that would also correspond to an attenuated cortisol response to the same stressor. It was also hypothesized that participants with a PTSD or MDD diagnosis would exhibit a decreased immune cell sensitivity to glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone. The current study found that more severe symptoms of MDD or PTSD correlated with lower levels of cortisol, which is largely responsible for controlling the body’s stress response. The current study also found that patients with PTSD showed decreased glucocorticoid sensitivity than patients without PTSD. The findings of the study suggest that patients with more severe symptoms of MDD or PTSD will have elevated response to stressors as shown by elevated levels of NF-kB, and that patients with these disorders may also have stress responses that are abnormally regulated because of altered immune cell glucocorticoid sensitivity.