Nucleic Acids, Nucleotides, and Nucleosides Commons^™

Impact Of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms On Hpa Axis Functionality In Depression, Claire Kelly

Honors Theses

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a primary role in stress response through the regulated secretion of the glucocorticoid hormone cortisol. Diseases of cortisol dysregulation such as Cushing’s syndrome (hypercortisolemia) and Addison’s Disease (hypocortisolemia) are both associated with depression. Based on this we, and others, have hypothesized that mutations in the genes for the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), the closely related mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), and regulatory proteins associated with cortisol or GR function may contribute to depression in the absence of hyper- or hypo-cortisolemia. Our study investigated the genotypic frequency in the clinical population of several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that affect …