title: Alteration of prolactin serum levels during alcohol withdrawal correlates with craving in female patients.
abstract: Dopaminergic transmission has been suggested to be a main mechanism mediating reinforcement, withdrawal and craving in alcohol dependency. Dopamine is associated with prolactin secretion, acting as a prolactin inhibitor. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether there is an association between altered prolactin levels and craving during early and late alcohol withdrawal. Therefore, we examined 145 patients suffering from alcohol dependency after admission to the detoxification unit, assessing craving with the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) and measuring prolactin serum levels during early withdrawal (-EW: day 0 or day 1) and late withdrawal (-LW: day 7-day 10). We observed a significant influence of the alteration of prolactin during withdrawal on craving in female patients (Spearman's rho, OCDS-EW: r=-0.607, p=0.001; OCDS-LW: r=-0.730, p<0.001; n=26). The association between prolactin alteration in percentage and craving in females was confirmed with general linear models (OCDS-EW: F=15.819, p=0.001, r(2)=0.530; OCDS-LW: F=17.091, p<0.001, r(2)=0.535). In male patients we did not find any significant results. Our findings support the previously described role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the neurobiology of alcohol craving and show evidence of an association between increased prolactin serum levels and lower craving during alcohol withdrawal in female patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. thomas.hillemacher@psych.imed.uni-erlangen.de
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hillemacher
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bayerlein
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Reulbach
authors.forename: Helge
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Frieling
authors.forename: Dominikus
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bönsch
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kornhuber
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bleich
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000430:Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium / Q000097:blood*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic
chemical_list: D011388:Prolactin