A potential explanation of cortisols biphasic effects on the immune system (that seem to be not only time- and dose-dependent but also reliant on the GR) may be that stress concentrations of glucocorticoids prime the innate immune system resulting in the existence of a certain level of intrinsic inflammation that leads to the exacerbating consequences stated above that are seen in depression [38,13,48]. This evidence concerns the gene NR3C1 and depressive symptom measurement.