Cortisol Exposure leads to Astrocyte dysfunction in Major Depression

Yeah.   That's what this experiment showed.

Chronic cortisol differentially impacts stem cell-derived astrocytes from major depressive disorder patients

Using the 7-day exposure paradigm, we studied the specific impact of chronic cortisol exposure in MDD patient-derived astrocytes with whole transcriptome analyses. We discovered uniquely disrupted pathways in MDD astrocytes exposed to chronic cortisol. Genes involved in GPCR ligand binding, ion transport, and synaptic transmission were uniquely affected by chronic stress in MDD astrocytes, notably the serotonin receptor HTR1B, the neurotrophic factor GDNF, and glutamate receptors GRM1 and GRM8. We have generated a novel in vitro chronic stress-like paradigm and provide evidence for the unique regulation of astrocyte genes in MDD.

Association of Porphyromonas gingivalis with high levels of stress-induced hormone cortisol in chronic periodontitis patients