Project Summary

Elissa S. Epel, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2002) of University of California, San Francisco, will study the mechanisms by which chronic psychological stress contributes to major depressive disorder (MDD) by examining cortisol activity (cortisol is a stress hormone) in combination with anabolic hormones such as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) which can buffer the damaging effects of cortisol.  Dr. Epel will study dementia caregivers, as they are a model for chronic stress and are particularly at risk for depression, by assessing their DHEA/cortisol ratios at rest and in response to a laboratory psychological stressor to predict depression over the course of one year.  Future research may compare the effects of psychosocial intervention and hormonal supplementation on depression and health risk factors and assess other physiological correlates of chronic stress such as high resolution hippocampal brain imaging.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Depression (Unipolar)\Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

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