Prednisone decreases CSF somatostatin in healthy humans: implications for neuropsychiatric illness.
Several neuropsychiatric illnesses, including depression and Alzheimer's disease, are reported to be characterized by hypercortisolemia and by reduced levels of cerebrospinal fluid somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (CSF-SLI). To investigate a possible causal linkage between these abnormalities we administered prednisone, 80 mg orally per day for 5 days, to 9 healthy volunteers. We observed significant prednisone-induced reductions in CSF-SLI. Moreover, the magnitude of these reductions was inversely related to the magnitude of prednisone-induced reductions in plasma ACTH levels, suggesting a functional interaction between circulating corticosteroids, central somatostatin and pituitary ACTH release.
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D003863:Depression / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010455:Peptides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D011241:Prednisone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
D010455:Peptides; C029993:somatostatin-like peptides; D013004:Somatostatin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D011241:Prednisone; D006854:Hydrocortisone