NR3C1 and depressive symptom measurement: In studies of the etiology and pathology of major depression, disorders of GR expression and function in the prefrontal cortex and several limbic brain areas (e.g., hippocampus and amygdala) were thought to be involved in hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA axis) dysfunction, which is one of the potential mechanisms associated with the pathogenesis of depression (Pariante, 2006; Anacker et al., 2011a; Guidotti et al., 2013).