These subtle changes, however, were relatively robust in predicting the longitudinal clinical course; higher Cortisol secretion in the evening or during sleep, a time when the HPA axis is relatively quiescent, was associated with a longer time to recovery from the depressive episode,197 a propensity for recurrence,185,198 and suicide attempts.199 Higher Cortisol secretion also was detected Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical in at-risk youth who subsequently developed depression.186,200,201

Another neuroendocrine marker possibly related to depression is growth hormone, which is secreted by the anterior pituitary and follows a circadian pattern with increased secretion during slow-wave sleep. Although Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the precise role of growth hormone secretion in depression is not known, it appears to be a marker of central noradrenergic and serotonergic (5-HT) systems. Reduced growth hormone secretion during sleep has been observed in adult depression,202 but findings in children and adolescents have been variable, with some studies showing no differences whereas others showing reduced

or increased secretion.5,170 One study found that depressed children with stressful Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical life events had increased growth hormone secretion compared with their counterparts who did not experience recent stress, suggesting that environmental factors have a moderating influence and also underscoring the need for integrative models in examining the pathophysiology of pediatric depression.203 In another study, depressed adolescents who subsequently

made suicide Adriamycin mw attempts Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical had increased growth hormone secretion during sleep, and when this group was separated, depressed adolescents manifested blunted growth hormone secretion compared with controls, again highlighting the value of neuroendocrine measures in predicting the longitudinal course in depressed youngsters.204 In contrast to the findings in basal secretion, pharmacological challenge studies documented blunted growth hormone response to a variety of pharmacological agents in depressed children, similar to those reported in depressed Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical adults.205 In contrast, data in adolescents were predominantly negative. Although the sample sizes were modest in these adolescent studies, pubertal changes and gender might account for some variability among child, adolescent, unless and adult samples.5,170 Neuroimaging studies Studies using various neuroimaging techniques provided converging lines of evidence supporting prefrontal cortical-striatal and medial temporolimbic dysfunction in adult depression.206,207 There is a striking paucity of neuroimaging studies in pediatric depression, and existing studies are marked by small sample sizes and inconsistent findings.169,170,208 Within this context, volumetric studies documented reduced left frontal lobe volume, particularly in those with familial depression.