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Home › Research › Hippocampus size on brain scans

Hypercortisolemia and hippocampal changes in depression

Axelson DA, Doraiswamy PM, McDonald WM, Boyko OB, Tupler LA, Patterson LJ, Nemeroff CB, Ellinwood EH et al.. Psychiatry research, 1993-05-01

This page is alzhub.org's plain-English summary of a published study, not the paper itself. It is generated from the record we hold for this study, sourced and linked below — check the original for the full text and methods.

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 43 out of 100. Hippocampus size on brain scans

Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies

Hypercortisolemia is a frequently observed abnormality in patients with major depression. It has been hypothesized that the hippocampus, as a major feedback site for glucocorticoids, is involved in the pathophysiology of hypercortisolemia. Some have in fact posited that the hippocampus is marked by diminished size in depressed patients with hypercortisolemia. We tested this hypothesis by examining the relationship between hippocampal volume, assessed with magnetic resonance imaging, and hypercortisolemia using the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) in a group of 19 depressed patients. No differences in hippocampal volume were observed between patients and control subjects (n = 30). Within the patient group, DST suppressors did not differ from DST nonsuppressors in hippocampal volume. However, a relationship between hippocampal volume and 11 p.m. cortisol concentration was observed after covariance adjustment for age and sex. Furthermore, significant negative correlations were observed between hippocampal volume and both age of depressive onset and number of hospitalizations. The results of this study therefore provide limited support for the hypothesis regarding an essential role of the hippocampus in the neuroendocrine elevation of glucocorticoids in depression.

Key findings

Study details

How this study scored 43/100
How this study's score is builtJournal tier 7 of 10; Journal's citation record left out, no data; Study design 0 of 12; Strength of evidence 1 of 5; Peer-review validation 10 of 10; How recent 1 of 5; Sample size 1 of 4; Effect reported 0 of 3; Studied in people 3 of 3; Randomised / blinded 0 of 2; Times cited left out, no data; Citations per year left out, no data; Impact for its field and year left out, no data; Cited by studies here left out, no data; Still being cited left out, no data; Senior author's track record left out, no data; Institution's track record left out, no data; Multi-centre collaboration left out, no data; Indexed in PubMed 2 of 2; Free to read 0 of 2. 25 of the 58 points it could be judged on, which is 43 of 100. Total 43 of 100.25 of the 58 points we could judge = 43 of 100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 25 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 43 out of 100.

ComponentPointsWhy
Journal tier 7 / 10 Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Psychiatry research)
Journal's citation record — / 4 No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score
Study design 0 / 12 No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence 1 / 5 Rated “low” in our summary
Peer-review validation 10 / 10 Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent 1 / 5 1993 — older than 20 years, still counted
Sample size 1 / 4 30 participants
Effect reported 0 / 3 No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people 3 / 3 Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomised / blinded 0 / 2 No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited — / 7 No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score
Citations per year — / 5 No citation count or no year — left out of this score
Impact for its field and year — / 6 No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score
Cited by studies here — / 6 Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score
Still being cited — / 4 No yearly citation counts — left out of this score
Senior author's track record — / 4 Senior author's record not available — left out of this score
Institution's track record — / 3 No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score
Multi-centre collaboration — / 3 Institutions not listed — left out of this score
Indexed in PubMed 2 / 2 Indexed in PubMed (PMID 8341769)
Free to read 0 / 2 Behind a paywall — scores zero
Points 25 / 58 Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 25 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 43 out of 100.
Total 43 / 100 —

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

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APA 7th

Axelson, D. A., Doraiswamy, P. M., McDonald, W. M., Boyko, O. B., Tupler, L. A., Patterson, L. J., et al. (1993). Hypercortisolemia and hippocampal changes in depression. Psychiatry research. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-1781(93)90046-j

Vancouver

Axelson DA, Doraiswamy PM, McDonald WM, Boyko OB, Tupler LA, Patterson LJ, et al. Hypercortisolemia and hippocampal changes in depression. Psychiatry research. 1993. doi:10.1016/0165-1781(93)90046-j. PMID: 8341769.

BibTeX

@article{axelson1993-8341769,
  author  = {Axelson, D. A. and Doraiswamy, P. M. and McDonald, W. M. and Boyko, O. B. and Tupler, L. A. and Patterson, L. J. and Nemeroff, C. B. and Ellinwood, E. H. and others},
  title   = {{Hypercortisolemia and hippocampal changes in depression}},
  journal = {Psychiatry research},
  year    = {1993},
  doi     = {10.1016/0165-1781(93)90046-j},
  pmid    = {8341769},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-1781(93)90046-j}
}

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