Corticotropin-releasing factor in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with secondary psychotic symptoms, nonpsychotic PTSD, and healthy control subjects.
BACKGROUND
Recent studies have reported a high comorbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychotic symptoms, and it has been hypothesized that PTSD with comorbid psychosis is a severe form of PTSD. Few studies have examined the neurobiology of PTSD with comorbid psychosis. If PTSD with secondary psychotic symptoms (PTSD-SP) is a severe form of PTSD, then it might be expected to show more extreme perturbations in the neuroendocrine patterns that characterize PTSD.


METHODS
Patients with PTSD with secondary psychotic symptoms (PTSD-SP), PTSD without psychosis, and healthy comparison subjects were compared for differences in cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and somatotropin-release-inhibiting hormone (SRIF).


RESULTS
The PTSD-SP subjects had significantly higher mean levels of CRF than either the PTSD or control subjects (p <.01). The three groups showed similar SRIF levels.


CONCLUSIONS
These data implicate abnormalities in the secretion of CRF with the production of secondary psychotic symptoms in PTSD. This finding supports the validity of PTSD-SP as a PTSD subtype and as a severe form of PTSD.
Sautter
Frederic J
FJ
Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA.
Bissette
Garth
G
Wiley
Justin
J
Manguno-Mire
Gina
G
Schoenbachler
Benjamin
B
Myers
Leann
L
Johnson
Janet E
JE
Cerbone
Arleen
A
Malaspina
Dolores
D
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000150:complications; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000378:metabolism; D014728:Veterans
D013004:Somatostatin; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone