The change in blood glucose level after a moderate stress as a parameter of stress reactivity in anxiety and depression: A pilot translational study

Anxiety and depression are the most common mental pathologies. Actual stress reactivity is an important parameter that characterizes the current state of a patient and, potentially, their prognosis and treatment efficiency. It is an important task to find simple tests for the assessment of stress reactivity, which may be used in clinical practice. We present the results of our pilot study of stress-reactivity markers in patients with anxiety and depression (ADS) symptoms. The blood of patients was analyzed before and after an emotional stress test. The results were compared with the data from experiments on rats with depression-like behavior that also were exposed to stress. The glucose blood level significantly increased in patients with ADS and rats with depression-like behavior after the stress test. This change in glucose level was absent in healthy people and control rats. Therefore, moderate stress with an analysis of the glucose blood level is a valid approach for the evaluation of stress reactivity, both in clinical and experimental models.