and calculated the mean urinary cortisol level. All parti- cipants underwent the Composite International Diag- nostic Interview, a structured psychiatric diagnostic interview resulting in DSM-IV diagnoses, to check for the lifetime presence of depressive disorders. Results: Data on glucocorticoid receptor haplotypes were not available yet at the time this abstract was written. Maternal separation was reported by 124 par- ticipants; reported reasons were parents divorced (N = 8), mother died (N = 10), mother hospitalized (N = 32), participant hospitalized (N = 18), participant adopted (N = 50), other (N = 2), unknown (N = 4). Analyses on psychosocial stress revealed that participants who reported maternal separation during childhood reported significantly more subjectively rated childhood stress [3.1 (SD 2.4) vs. 4.7 (SD 3.2); t = - 5.382, p b0.01]. In addition, participants who reported maternal separation during childhood had significantly lower cortisol levels compared to participants who did not report maternal separation [mean cortisol 39.5 nM (SD 20.6) and 44.1 nM (SD 23.3), respectively; t = 2.043, p =0.041]. With regard to the development of depressive disorders, 7.9% of the controls versus 15.3% of the maternal separation group developed a depressive disorder of at least moderate severity (age- and gender-adjusted OR 2.3; p b 0.01). Conclusions: This is the first population-based study showing that maternal separation is associated with reduced urinary cortisol levels and depression. Further studies will include interactions between stress and glucocorticoid receptor haplotypes in relation to the development of HPA axis dysfunction and depression. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2007.12.193 8.5 Corticosteroid receptor gene variants and stress reactivity: Implications for the development of depression S. Wüst*, R. Kumsta, R.H. DeRijk, S. Entringer, E.F.C. van Rossum, J.W. Koper, D.H. Hellhammer University of Trier, Germany In response to stress, a wide spectrum of adaptive responses is triggered, including an activation of the hypo- thalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Chronic altera- tions in HPA axis regulation have been implicated in the susceptibility for several pathologies including depression. In two independent samples, we investigated if com- mon variants of the mineralocorticoid (MR) and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) genes are associated with HPA axis responses to stress and glucocorticoid (GC) sensitivity in different target tissues. In a cohort of 110 healthy males, carriers of the minor allele of the MR gene variant I180V showed higher salivary and total cortisol responses to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) than non-carriers. In a sample of 206 healthy males and females we assessed four GR gene polymorphisms (ER22/23EK, N363S, BclI, 9beta). Male 9beta AG carriers displayed the highest ACTH and total cortisol levels after TSST exposure, while male BclI GG carriers showed diminished responses. Remarkably, the BclI GG genotype in women was associated with the highest total cortisol TSST responses, resulting in a significant sex by genotype interaction. Following the dexamethasone suppression test, only male 9beta AG carriers had elevated ACTH levels (i.e. a lower GC sensitivity of the pituitary) and 9beta AG men also showed the largest increase and the highest peak levels in post dexamethasone salivary cortisol levels in the morning. The BclI GG genotype group showed the least degree of skin blanching, suggesting a lower GC sensitivity of subdermal blood vessels. The present findings document a significant associa- tion between MR and GR gene polymorphisms and HPA axis regulation. Furthermore, they suggest a sex specific relation between GR gene polymorphisms and responses to psychosocial stress as well as GC sensitivity. We speculate that genetic variations of corticosteroid recep- tors might constitute a risk factor for the development of HPA axis related disorders including depression. This assumption is consistent with two recent reports of a significant association between two GR gene variants (ER22/23EK, BclI) and major depression. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2007.12.194 Symposium 9 Hormones and hormonal interventions as treatment of affective disorders – A 2008 update Symposium Leader: U. Halbreich State University of New York at Buffalo, USA 9 (overview) Many hormones have been shown to modulate multiple central nervous system (CNS) processes, as well as mood, behaviour and cognition. Receptors for many hormones are differentially found in many CNS regions, independently or in association with systems that are putatively involved in regulation of multiple mental functions. Many hormones exert organizational S39 Abstracts / Journal of Affective Disorders 107 (2008) S21–S52