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Plasma Cortisol Levels in Depression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

R. J. Doig ,
R. V. Mummery ,
M. R. Wills  and
A. Elkes
R. J. Doig
Affiliation:
Belmont Hospital, Sutton, Surrey; Royal Free Hospital, London
R. V. Mummery
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical Pathology, Royal Free Hospital, London
M. R. Wills
Affiliation:
Dept. of Chemical Pathology, Royal Free Hospital, London
A. Elkes
Affiliation:
St. John's Hospital, Stone, Aylesbury, Bucks
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Extract

Sleep disturbance is commonly found in depression. Plasma cortisol levels in non-hospitalized normal subjects show a rise prior to waking, with peak values at between 5 and 8 a.m. (9, 10). In a group of eight normal subjects, Perkoff (10) changed the sleep rhythm to sleeping during the day, using darkened rooms, and found that the plasma cortisol level followed suit, rising sharply in the two-hour period before waking. He stated: “A fundamental characteristic of the diurnal variation of plasma 17 OHCS concentration is the abrupt rise which occurs during the sleep period.”

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 112 , Issue 493 , December 1966 , pp. 1263 - 1267
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1966 

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References

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