ArticlePsychoneuroendocrinology2017
Higher serum DHEA concentrations before and after SSRI treatment are associated with remission of major depression.
Article in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Adrenarche as a regulator of sensitivity to early adversity.Journal of neuroendocrinology · 2026Review
- Application of Treatment Response Biomarkers from Major Depression to Perinatal Depression.Journal of personalized medicine · 2025Review
- DHEA: a neglected biological signal that may affect fetal and child development.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2024Article
- Shorter telomere length predicts poor antidepressant response and poorer cardiometabolic indices in major depression.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Intranasal temperature-sensitive hydrogels of cannabidiol inclusion complex for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2021Article
- The Enigma of the Adrenarche: Identifying the Early Life Mechanisms and Possible Role in Postnatal Brain Development.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Cerebral perfusion in depression: Relationship to sex, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and depression severity.NeuroImage. Clinical · 2021Article
- Cortisol, moderated by age, is associated with antidepressant treatment outcome and memory improvement in Major Depressive Disorder: A retrospective analysis.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2019Article
- Vortioxetine versus sertraline in metabolic control, distress and depression in Mexican patients with type 2 diabetes.Annals of translational medicine · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfated ester DHEA-sulfate (DHEA-S), (together DHEA[S]), are the most abundant adrenal steroids in humans and are found in blood and the brain, where they function as neurosteroids with direct receptor affinities. Preclinical studies suggest that DHEA(S) has antidepressant/neuroprotective properties, and exogenously administered DHEA has shown antidepressant efficacy in humans. Nonetheless, the role of endogenous DHEA(S) levels in major depressive disorder (MDD) and antidepressant outcomes remains unclear.
methodsMorning fasting serum DHEA(S) concentrations were determined in 36 healthy, unmedicated MDD adults with Hamilton Depression (HDRS) ratings ≥17, and 75 healthy controls. MDD participants then completed eight weeks of open-label SSRI treatment before DHEA(S) levels were re-sampled; those with post-treatment HDRS ratings ≤7 were classified as "Remitters." Pre- and post-treatment DHEA(S) levels of Remitters and Non-remitters were compared, controlling for age, sex, and BMI.
resultsPre-treatment HDRS ratings did not differ between Remitters and Non-remitters (p=0.179). Baseline DHEA levels of Remitters were significantly higher than both Non-remitters (p=0.008) and controls (p=0.004); baseline DHEA-S levels of Remitters were also higher than Non-remitters (p=0.040) but did not significantly differ from controls (p=0.096). Non-remitters did not significantly differ from controls. Post-treatment DHEA(S) levels remained higher in Remitters compared to Non-remitters (DHEA: p=0.013; DHEA-S: p=0.040).
conclusionsThese data suggest that higher circulating DHEA(S) levels (while unmedicated and after eight weeks of SSRI treatment) predict SSRI-associated remission in MDD. This raises the possibility that endogenous DHEA(S) abundance is a physiological adjunct to SSRI efficacy, as suggested by prior preclinical and clinical studies.
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