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Abstract
To ascertain the extent of dysregulation of prolactin (PRL) secretion in endogenous
depression, we determined nocturnal serum PRL concentrations and PRL responses to
thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), gonadotropin-releasing hormone (LHRH), and dexamethasone
administration in 40 Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) primary, definite endogenous
depressives and 40 individually matched normal control subjects. Compared to their
matched controls, the patients showed no difference in basal nocturnal PRL concentrations,
a marginally significant 20%–25% increase in the PRL response to TRH, and no differences
in post-LHRH or postdexamethasone PRL concentrations. In the patients, there was a
weak, negative correlation between age and PRL (r = −0.30), but none of the other
subject characteristics or specific dimensions of depressive symptomatology were significantly
related to the PRL measures. The PRL measures also were unrelated to pre- and postdexamethasone
cortisol concentrations and to the thyrotropin (TSH) responses to TRH in both groups
of subjects. In contrast to the previously reported hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal
cortical and thyroid axis abnormalities in these patients, our findings suggest that
PRL secretion was relatively normal.
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Article info
Publication history
Received in revised form:
February 19,
1988
Received:
November 3,
1987
Footnotes
☆Supported in part by National Institute of Mental Health Grants MH28380 (R.T.R.) and MH34471 (R.E.P.). Research Scientist Award MH47363 (R.T.R.). and Research Scientist Development Award MH00534 (R.E.P.). and by National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Center Grant RR00425.
Identification
Copyright
© 1989 Published by Elsevier Inc.
