Prolactin in patients with major depressive disorder and in healthy subjects: II. Longitudinal study of basal prolactin and post-TRH-stimulated prolactin levels

• Published in: Biological psychiatry (1969) Vol. 24; no. 3; pp. 268 - 285
• Main Authors: Baumgartner, Andreas, Gräf, Klaus-jürgen, Kürten, Irene
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.07.1988; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Clomipramine - therapeutic use; Depressive Disorder - blood; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - drug therapy; Dexamethasone; Female; Humans; Hydrocortisone - blood; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Maprotiline - therapeutic use; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Prolactin - blood; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Techniques and methods; Thyrotropin - blood; Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone; Human; Dexamethasone test; Biological marker; Depression; Prolactin
• ISSN: 0006-3223; 1873-2402
• DOI: 10.1016/0006-3223(88)90196-5

Longitudinal investigations of basal prolactin (PRL) and prolactin concentrations following thyrotopin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation (ΔPRL) were conducted in 17 patients with major depressive disorder and healthy subjects. The patients were being treated with either clomipramine or maprotiline. Both basal and ΔPRL increased significantly after clinical response during treatment with both drugs. However, these increases in basal and ΔPRL were independent of each other. Surprisingly, elevations of basal PRL were significantly greater in responders than in nonresponders, whereas those in ΔPRL showed no corresponding significant difference. These results suggest that the two drugs stimulate basal and ΔPRL by different mechanisms. The increases in basal prolactin levels found in responders may possibly be due to weaker inhibition of prolactin due to “down-regulated” beta adrenergic receptors and/or enhanced activity of supersensitive serotonergic receptors. Neither basal PRL nor ΔPRL proved to be a predictor of therapy response. The intraindividual retest reliabilities of both basal and ΔPRL in healthy subjects was so good that a single blood sample would seem to be sufficient for investigating most issues involving PRL in psychiatric patients.