NR3C1 and major depressive disorder: Many studies on major depression patients or depressive-like animal models have reported abnormal GR expression and function in the pituitary or hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex and other brain areas, which was considered one of the important reasons for HPA axis hyperactivity and glucocorticoid resistance (Revollo and Cidlowski, 2009; Anacker et al., 2011a).