[Glucocorticoids and aetiopathogenesis of depression].

Current research interest is increasingly directed towards the role of glucocorticoid actions and inflammation. A failure in the stress system regulation appears to largely characterize depression. New research data have substantially diversified the theoretical concept of association between overactivity of HPA-axis and depression. The glucocorticoid effects are regulated by glucocorticoid reseptor gene polymorphisms, and glucocorticoid resistance is often associated with depression. Moreover, immune system disturbances affect the development of depression, and an altered balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines is also observable. Treatment methods that follow the new developments of the glucocorticoid theory are being developed.