Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T08:27:21.987Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Dexamethasone Suppression Test and Serum Prolactin in Dementia Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Jan Balldin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, St Jörgen's Hospital, S-422 03 Hisings-Backa, University of Göteborg, Sweden
C-G. Gottfries
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, St Jörgen's Hospital, University of Göteborg
I. Karlsson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, St Jörgen's Hospital, University of Göteborg
G. Lindstedt
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Chemistry, Sahlgren's Hospital, S-413 45 Göteborg, University of Göteborg, Sweden
G. Långström
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics, Sven Hultins Gata 6, S-412 96 Göteborg; Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, St Jörgen's Hospital, University of Göteborg
J. Wålinder
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, St Jörgen's Hospital, University of Göteborg

Summary

The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was performed on 21 patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT), 11 patients with multiinfarct dementia (Ml) and 14 healthy controls. Twelve of the DAT patients and eight of the Ml patients showed abnormal lack of suppression, compared with just one member of the control group. Abnormal DST was related to dementia as such and not to age or depression, or to levels of CSF monoamine metabolites. Basal serum prolactin concentrations were not increased.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1983 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agnoli, A., Baldassarre, M., Ruggieri, S., Falaschi, P., Urso, R. D. & Rocco, A. (1981) Prolactin response as an index of dopaminergic receptor function in Parkinson's disease. Correlation with clinical findings and therapeutic response. Journal of Neural Transmission, 51, 123–34.Google Scholar
Balldin, J., Granérus, A. K., Lindstedt, G., Modigh, K. & Wålinder, J. (1982) Neuroendocrine evidence for increased responsiveness of dopamine receptors in humans following electroconvulsive therapy. Psychopharmacology, 76, 371–6.Google Scholar
Carroll, B. J., Feinberg, M., Greden, J. F., Tarika, J., Albala, A. A., Haskett, R. F. McI., James, N., Kronfol, Z., Lohr, N., Steiner, M., de Vigne, J. P. & Young, E. (1981) A specific laboratory test for the diagnosis of melancholia. Standardization, validation and clinical utility. Archives of General Psychiatry, 38, 1522.Google Scholar
Coppen, A. (1967) The biochemistry of affective disorders. British Journal of Psychiatry, 113, 1237–64.Google Scholar
Gottfries, C. G. (1981a) Treatment of depression in the elderly. General clinical considerations. Proceedings of an International Symposium in Corfu, Greece. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, Supplementum 290, 63, 401–9.Google Scholar
Gottfries, C. G. (1981b) Biochemical aspects of dementia. In Handbook of Biological Psychiatry, (eds. van Praag, H., Lader, M., Rafaelson, O. J. and Sachar, E. J.). New York: Marcel Dekker.Google Scholar
Gottfries, C. G., Källqvist, A., Pontén, U., Roos, B. E. & Sundbärg, G. (1974) Cerebrospinal fluid pH and monoamine and glucolytic metabolites in Alzheimer's disease. British Journal of Psychiatry, 124, 280–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gottfries, C. G., Bråne, G., Gullberg, B. & Steen, G. (1982) A new rating scale for dementia syndromes. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 1, 311–30.Google Scholar
Hällström, T., Samuelsson, S., Balldin, J., Wålinder, J., Bengtsson, C., Nyström, E., Andersch, B., Lindstedt, G. & Lundberg, P. A. (1983) Abnormal dexamethasone suppression test in normal females. British Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 489–97.Google Scholar
Lal, S., de la Vega, C. E., Sourkes, T. L. & Friesen, H. G. (1973) Effect of apomorphine on growth hormone, prolactin, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels in human serum. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 37, 719–24.Google Scholar
Lehmann, E. L. (1975) Non-parametric Statistical Methods Based on Ranks. New York: McGraw Hill.Google Scholar
McAllister, T. W., Ferrell, R. B., Price, T. R. P. & Neville, M. B. (1982) The dexamethasone suppression test in two patients with severe depressive pseudodementia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 479–81.Google Scholar
Post, F. (1965) The Clinical Psychiatry of Late Life. Oxford: Pergamon.Google Scholar
de Rivera, J. L., Lal, S., Ettigi, P., Hontela, S., Muller, H. F. & Friesen, H. G. (1976) Effect of acute and chronic neuroleptic therapy on serum prolactin levels in men and women of different age groups. Clinical Endocrinology, 5, 273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rudorfer, M. V. & Clayton, P. J. (1981) Depression, dementia and dexamethasone suppression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 138, 701.Google Scholar
Schildkraut, J. J. (1965) The catecholamine hypothesis of affective disorders. A review of supporting evidence. American Journal of Psychiatry, 122, 509–22.Google Scholar
Spar, J. E. & Gerner, R. (1982) Does the dexamethasone suppression test distinguish dementia from depression? American Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 238–40.Google Scholar
Tourigny-Rivard, M. F., Raskind, M. & Rivard, D. (1982) The dexamethasone suppression test in an elderly population. Biological Psychiatry, 16, 1177–84.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.