title: Plasma noradrenaline response to electroconvulsive therapy in depressive illness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Abnormalities of catecholaminergic function have been hypothesised to cause depressive illness. Plasma noradrenaline can be used as a marker of central noradrenergic activity. It is of interest to examine the change in resting plasma noradrenaline in patients with depressive illness over a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and relate this to their clinical state.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients referred for ECT who suffered from DSM-III-R major depressive disorder or dysthymia were recruited. Blood samples were taken before and after each treatment, during a course of ECT, to measure plasma noradrenaline and cortisol. Clinical ratings were carried out weekly during the course of ECT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma noradrenaline fell significantly in those patients with melancholic/psychotic depressions but increased in those with non-melancholic depressive illness. There was a strong trend indicating that a fall in plasma noradrenaline was associated with improvement in depression ratings in the melancholic/psychotic patients only.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Electroconvlusive therapy decreases plasma noradrenaline in melancholic/psychotic depressive illness and this shows a trend associated with clinical improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Queen's University of Belfast.
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D009638:Norepinephrine