Horm Metab Res 2005; 37(1): 45-48
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-861033
Original Clinical
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Plasma Leptin in Men and Women with Seasonal Affective Disorder and in Healthy Matched Controls

G.  Cizza1 , P.  Romagni1 , A.  Lotsikas1 , G. Lam1 , N.  E.  Rosenthal1 , G.  P.  Chrousos1
  • 1Pediatric and Reproductive Endocrinology Branch, NICHD, Clinical Psychobiology Branch, NIMH, Bethesda MD, USA
Further Information

Publication History

Received 15 March 2004

Accepted after Revision 20 July 2004

Publication Date:
09 February 2005 (online)

Abstract

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a specific clinical entity characterized by recurrent episodes of depression, which typically occur during the winter with periods of remission during the spring and summer. These depression episodes are accompanied by hyperphagia with cravings for carbohydrates and moderate weight gain, and usually respond to light therapy. We examined potential relationships between leptin, a hormone known to affect appetite and weight regulation, and seasonal changes in mood and appetite by measuring plasma leptin, clinical severity of depression, appetite scores, and body mass index (BMI) in 19 women and 8 men with SAD and matched controls (20 women and 8 men) in the summer and winter. Plasma leptin was positively correlated with BMI in patients and controls during both seasons. Women and men with SAD both experienced depression in the winter, which was associated with increased appetite, caloric intake, and carbohydrate craving. Increased body weight during the winter in subjects with SAD was paralleled by a lack of concomitant changes in plasma leptin, which suggests that leptin sensitivity to changes in body weight may be influenced by seasons in subjects with SAD, similar to seasonal mammals.

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G. Cizza

NIDDK, NIH Bldg. 10, Rm 9C-101

10 Center Drive · Bethesda · MD 20892 · USA ·

Email: CizzaG@mail.nih.gov

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