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Corticosteroid and growth hormone responses to methylamphetamine in depressive illness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

S. A. Checkley
S. A. Checkley*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr S. A. Checkley, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF.
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Synopsis

It is suggested that, if depressed patients have deficient noradrenergic function at central α-adrenergic receptors, then they will also have impaired corticosteroid responses to methylamphetamine but unaltered growth hormone responses. This prediction has been confirmed when the responses of a group of patients with endogenous depression were compared with the responses of a group of patients with other functional psychoses, a group of patients with reactive depression, and a group of patients with other psychiatric diagnoses. These findings support the hypothesis that there is a functional deficiency of noradrenaline at some central α-adrenergic receptors.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , February 1979 , pp. 107 - 115
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

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