Cortisol and Hippocampal Volume as Predictors of Active Suicidal Behavior in Major Depressive Disorder: Case Report

Year 2016, Volume: 33 Issue: 6, 706 - 709, 01.11.2016

Theodor Moica İosif Gabos Grecu Sorina Moica Marieta Gabos Grecu

Abstract

Background: Suicide is frequently encountered in
patients suffering from major depressive disorder
(MDD). Since only a third of treated depressed patients
are able to achieve remission, in the last few
years, new theories have been proposed to better
understand the mechanism of this illness. Our paper
analyzes the interrelation between cortisol as a marker
of neuroendocrine theory as a response to stress,
and hippocampal volume subfields in depression as
a marker of neurogenesis and neuroplasticity theory.
Case Report: Here we present the case of a 52-yearold
male patient with known history of MDD, who
died as a result of completed suicide by hanging. The
patient had been recently discharged from a psychiatric
clinic, after being hospitalized for a major depressive
episode (MDE). The result of the autopsy,
medical records, laboratory analysis and a magnetic
resonance image (MRI) of the patient were analyzed.
Both the right and left volumes of the hippocampus
were found to be smaller when compared to normal
values reported in the literature. The morning level of
cortisol was higher than the normal value.
Conclusion: In a depressed patient with an acute
stressful event, high levels of cortisol associated with
decreased volume of the hippocampus could represent
predictors for an increased risk of suicide.

Keywords

Cortisol, hippocampal volume, suicide

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