title: Increased central immunoreactive beta-endorphin content in patients with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and in alcoholics.
abstract: beta-endorphin, adrenocorticotrophin, and alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone were measured by radioimmunoassay in three areas of human brain at necropsy in seven subjects with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and in 52 controls. Thiamin concentration in six brain areas was also measured. Mamillary body beta-endorphin concentrations were significantly increased in those with the syndrome compared with controls, and those controls with high alcohol intake showed increased mamillary body beta-endorphin compared with controls with low alcohol intake. Brain thiamin concentration was similar in both groups, with the exception of the brainstem, where it was reduced in subjects with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Thalamic beta-endorphin in controls was inversely correlated with thiamin in frontal white matter, frontal cortex, parietal white matter and parietal cortex, while beta-endorphin in the hypothalamus of patients was inversely correlated with thiamin in frontal cortex, parietal white matter, thalamus and brainstem. These results suggest that there is a disturbance of the endorphinergic system in Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome which may be related to alcohol intake.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Shenton Park, Western Australia.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Summers
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Pullan
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kril
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Harper
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D000368:Aged; D000425:Alcohol Amnestic Disorder / Q000378:metabolism*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000378:metabolism*; D001344:Autopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013831:Thiamine / Q000032:analysis; D014899:Wernicke Encephalopathy / Q000378:metabolism*; D000521:alpha-MSH / Q000378:metabolism; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000521:alpha-MSH; D001615:beta-Endorphin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D013831:Thiamine