title: Prolactin response to d-fenfluramine in postmenopausal women on and off ERT: comparison with young women.
abstract: Estrogen is thought to have an impact on both psychological well being and cognitive function. The biological basis to this is not fully understood, but may involve estrogen's interactions with central serotonergic (5-HT) systems. Therefore, we studied the effect of long-term estrogen hormone replacement therapy (ERT) on central 5-HT tone in healthy postmenopausal women and made comparisons with young women. Prolactin (PRL) responses to the specific 5-HT releasing and re-uptake inhibiting agent, d-fenfluramine, were measured in three groups of healthy women: 11 young, 11 postmenopausal on long-term ERT, and 11 postmenopausal ERT naïve. PRL responses were significantly decreased in ERT naïve women compared to young healthy women. In contrast, PRL responses were not different between estrogen-treated and young women. Overall, there was a significant relationship between older age and lower PRL responsivity. These results suggest that central 5-HT tone is reduced in healthy postmenopausal women who are ERT naïve, but not in postmenopausal women who have received prolonged estrogen treatment. Estrogen may modulate age-related changes in 5-HT tone. This may partly explain why estrogen can decrease vulnerability to mood disorders and cognitive changes in postmenopausal women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF, London, UK.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: van Amelsvoort
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Abel
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Critchley
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Whitehead
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D005260:Female; D005277:Fenfluramine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology; D018490:Serotonin Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D005277:Fenfluramine; D011388:Prolactin; D012701:Serotonin; D018490:Serotonin Agents; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors