Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T07:41:59.642Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Plasma N-POMC, ACTH and Cortisol Concentrations in a Psychogeriatric Population

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

A. Leake ,
B. G. Charlton ,
P. J. Lowry ,
S. Jackson ,
A. Fairbairn  and
I. N. Ferrier
A. Leake*
Affiliation:
MRC Neurochemical Pathology Unit, Newcastle General Hospital
B. G. Charlton
Affiliation:
MRC Neurochemical Pathology Unit, Newcastle General Hospital
P. J. Lowry
Affiliation:
University of Reading
S. Jackson
Affiliation:
Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Reading
A. Fairbairn
Affiliation:
St Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne
I. N. Ferrier
Affiliation:
MRC Neurochemical Pathology Unit, Newcastle General Hospital
*
∗MRC Neurochemical Pathology Unit, Newcastle General Hospital, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 6BE
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Elderly patients with depression and Alzheimer-type dementia (ATD) were compared with age-matched control subjects using a protocol which measured Cortisol, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and N-terminal pro-opiomelanocortin (N-POMC) to determine diurnal variation and the effect of dexamethasone administration. Depressed patients had significantly elevated Cortisol concentrations both before and after dexamethasone administration. Basal ACTH and N-POMC concentrations were normal in depressed patients but were both elevated, compared with controls, after dexamethasone. By contrast, in ATD patients, Cortisol was elevated only after dexamethasone, as was ACTH, but not N-POMC. This may imply that the pattern of secretion of POMC-derived peptides underlying increased Cortisol secretion is different in ATD from that in depression.

Type
Lecture
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 156 , Issue 5 , May 1990 , pp. 676 - 679
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1990 

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

American Psychiatric Association (1980) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn) (DSM–III). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Amsterdam, J. D., Winokur, A., Abelman, E., et al (1983) Cosynotropin (ACTH 1–24) stimulation test in depressed patients and healthy subjects. American Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 970–979.Google Scholar
Ball, R., Howlett, T., Silverstone, T., et al (1987). The interrelationship of beta-endorphin, ACTH and Cortisol in depressive illness: a controlled study. Psychological Medicine, 17, 31–37.Google Scholar
Benjannet, S., Seidah, N. G., Routhier, R., et al (1980) A novel human pituitary peptide containing the 7,-MSH sequence. Nature, 285, 415–416.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brambilla, F., Genazzani, R. & Facchinetti, F. (1981) β-endorphin and β-lipotropin plasma levels in chronic schizophrenia, primary affective disorders and secondary affective disorders. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 6, 321–330.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carney, M. W. P., Roth, M. & Garside, R. F. (1965) The diagnosis of depressive syndromes and the prediction of ECT response. British Journal of Psychiatry, 111, 659–674.Google Scholar
Carroll, B. J., Feinberg, M., Greden, J. F., et al (1981) A specific laboratory test for the diagnosis of melancholia. Archives of General Psychiatry, 38, 15–22.Google Scholar
Chan, J. S. D., Seidah, N. G. & Chretien, M. (1983) Measurement of N-terminal (1–76) of human pro-opiomelanocortin in human plasma: correlation with adrenocorticotropin. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 56, 791–796.Google Scholar
Charlton, B. G., Leake, A., Wright, C., et al (1987) A combined study of Cortisol, ACTH and dexamethasone concentrations in major depression: multiple timepoint sampling. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 791–796.Google Scholar
Charlton, B. G., Ferrier, I. N., Leake, A., et al (1988) A multiple timepoint study of N-terminal pro-opiomelanocortin in depression using a novel immunoradiometric assay. Clinical Endocrinology, 28, 165–172.Google Scholar
Cohen, M. R., Pickar, D., Extein, I., et al (1984) Plasma Cortisol and β-endorphin immunoreactivity in non major and major depression. American Journal of Psychiatry, 141, 628–632.Google Scholar
Davis, K. L., Davis, B. M., Greenwald, B. S., et al (1986) Cortisol and Alzheimer's disease. 1: Basal studies. American Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 300–305.Google Scholar
Estivariz, F. E., Iturriza, F., McLean, C., et al (1982) Stimulation of adrenal mitogenesis by N-terminal proopcocortin peptide. Nature, 297, 419–422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferrier, I. N., Pascual, J., Charlton, B. G., et al (1988) Cortisol, ACTH and dexamethasone concentrations in a psychogeriatric population. Biological Psychiatry, 23, 252–260.Google Scholar
Hale, A. C., Rutter, S. J., Tomlin, S. J., et al (1984) Measurement of immunoreactive γ3-MSH in human plasma. Clinical Endocrinology, 21, 139–148.Google Scholar
Hamilton, M. (1960) A rating scale for depression. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 23, 56–62.Google Scholar
Hodgkinson, S. C., Allolio, B., Landon, J., et al (1984) Development of a non-extracted two-site immunoradiometric assay for corticotropin utilising extreme amino and carboxy terminally directed antibodies. Biochemistry Journal, 218, 703–711.Google Scholar
Jaeckle, R. S., Kathol, R. G., Lopez, J. F., et al (1987) Enhanced adrenal sensitivity to cosyntropin (ACTH 1-24) stimulation in major depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 44, 233–240.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kalin, N. H., Weiler, S. J. & Sheldon, S. E. (1982) Plasma ACTH and Cortisol concentrations before and after dexamethasone. Psychiatry Research, 7, 87–92.Google Scholar
Lowry, P. J. (1984) Pro-opiocortin. Bioscience Reports, 4, 467–482.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lowry, P. J., Silas, L., McLean, C., et al (1983) Pro-7-melanocyte-stimulating hormone cleavage in adrenal gland undergoing compensatory growth. Nature, 306, 70–73.Google Scholar
Matthews, J., Akil, H., Greden, J., et al (1982) Plasma measures of β-endorphin-like immunoreactivity in depressives and other psychiatric subjects. Life Sciences, 31, 1867–1870.Google Scholar
McKeith, I. G. (1984) Clinical use of the DST in a psychogeriatric population. British Journal of Psychiatry, 145, 389–393.Google Scholar
Motomatsu, T., Takahashi, H., Ibayashi, M., et al (1964) Human plasma pro-opiomelanocortin N-terminal peptide and adrenocorticotropin: circadian rhythm, dexamethasone suppression and corticotropin-releasing hormone stimulation. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 51, 1205–1207.Google Scholar
Murphy, B. E. A. (1967) Some studies on the protein binding of steroids and their application to the routine micro and ultramicro measurement of various steroids in body fluids by competitive protein-binding radioassay. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 27, 973–990.Google Scholar
Pedersen, R. C., Brownie, A. C. & Ling, N. (1980) Pro-adrenocorticotropin/endorphin-derived peptides. Science, 206, 1044–1045.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raskind, M., Peskind, E., Rivard, M. F., et al (1982) Dexamethasone suppression test and Cortisol and circadian rhythm in primary diagnostic dementia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 238–240.Google Scholar
Reus, V. I., Marshall, J. & Dallman, M. (1983) Regulation of ACTH and Cortisol in depression. Peptides, 4, 786–788.Google Scholar
Sachar, E. J., Hellman, L., Roffward, H. P., et al (1973) Disrupted 24–hour patterns of Cortisol secretion in psychotic depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 26, 19–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zivin, J. A. & Bartko, J. J. (1976) Statistics for disinterested scientists. Life Sciences, 18, 15–26.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.