title: D-fenfluramine-induced prolactin and cortisol release in major depression: response to treatment.
abstract: In order to test the effects of various biological treatments on serotonergic function in depression, twenty-one patients with a diagnosis of major depression underwent neuroendocrine challenge tests before and after treatment with either ECT, fluoxetine or amitriptyline. The serotonin (5-HT) releasing agent d-fenfluramine was used as a challenge drug and cortisol (CORT) and prolactin (PRL) plasma levels were monitored over a 5-h period. Overall PRL responses were significantly enhanced following pharmacotherapy irrespective of therapeutic outcome. Effective treatment in each case lowered baseline CORT levels but CORT response to d-fenfluramine remained blunted. Hypercortisolaemia may be involved in the impaired pretreatment PRL response as a strong inverse relationship was established, for the combined studies, between basal CORT plasma concentrations and PRL responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Medical School, St. James' Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: O'Keane
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McLoughlin
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Dinan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000639:Amitriptyline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005260:Female; D005277:Fenfluramine; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011379:Prognosis; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; D005473:Fluoxetine; D000639:Amitriptyline; D005277:Fenfluramine; D012701:Serotonin; D011388:Prolactin; D006854:Hydrocortisone