beta-endorphin and Psychotic-Disorders

Topics: Adult; beta-Endorphin; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry; Clinical Trials as Topic; Depressive Disorder; Double-Blind Method; Electroencephalography; Endorphins; Humans; Injections, Intravenous; Injections, Spinal; Male; Middle Aged; Prolactin; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychotic Disorders; Schizophrenia

Topics: Adult; beta-Endorphin; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry; Clinical Trials as Topic; Depressive Disorder; Double-Blind Method; Electroencephalography; Endorphins; Humans; Injections, Intravenous; Injections, Spinal; Male; Middle Aged; Prolactin; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychotic Disorders; Schizophrenia

The pharmacological actions of gamma-type endorphins show similarities to those of the neuroleptics. Two fragments of gamma-endorphin (beta-LPH 61-77) were therefore tested in patients with schizophrenic and schizo-affective psychoses who had shown an insufficient response to neuroleptics. The fragments were DT gamma E (beta-LPH 62-77) and DE gamma E (beta-LPH 66-77). Some of the patients studied responded favorably to this treatment. A number of criteria of differentiation between responders and nonresponders are discussed. The influence of DT gamma E on the central DA metabolism differs from that of the neuroleptics. It is therefore conceivable that gamma-type endorphins represent a different principle of action. The therapeutic efficacy of these compounds lends support to the hypothesis that disorders of central endorphin metabolism may play a role in the pathogenesis of psychoses of the schizophrenic type.

Topics: beta-Endorphin; Brain; Clinical Trials as Topic; Dopamine; Double-Blind Method; Endorphins; gamma-Endorphin; Humans; Peptide Fragments; Psychotic Disorders; Receptors, Dopamine; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenic Psychology

The response of plasma beta-endorphin (ir) to infusions of randomly assigned d-amphetamine (20 mg) and placebo was studied in eight schizophrenic patients. Although there was no statistically significant difference between the response to d-amphetamine and placebo, significant increases in plasma beta-endorphin (ir) levels were observed following each infusion. Although heterogeneity in beta-endorphin (ir) response was observed, individual differences did not relate to clinical variables such as abnormalities on computed tomography or "process-reactive" distinctions. An excessive beta-endorphin response to placebo in schizophrenia is discussed.

Topics: Adult; beta-Endorphin; Dextroamphetamine; Endorphins; Female; Growth Hormone; Humans; Male; Prolactin; Psychotic Disorders; Schizophrenia

The subjects were 13 psychiatric inpatients with tardive dyskinesia. Each subject participated in two sessions. Either naloxone (10 mg) or placebo was administered intravenously during each session. In a subset of subjects (n = 7), blood samples for beta-endorphin were drawn before and at 30 and 60 minutes after the injection. The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale was administered before and at 10, 20, 40, 60, 120, and 360 minutes after the injection. Double-blind procedures were maintained throughout the experiment. Neither naloxone nor placebo had any appreciable effect on the involuntary movements. Naloxone elicited a significant increase in the plasma beta-endorphin.

Topics: Adult; Affective Disorders, Psychotic; Aged; beta-Endorphin; Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced; Endorphins; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Naloxone; Psychotic Disorders; Receptors, Dopamine; Schizophrenia

Post-operative psychosis is a frequent complication after open-heart surgery. To investigate relationships between psychopathological outcome and endocrine and psychological variables, serum levels of cortisol, beta-endorphin, norepinephrine, TSH, and cholesterol were measured in 23 male patients undergoing aortic valve replacement from the day before operation (OP) until the seventh day after OP. State and trait anxiety, stress appraisal and the use of coping styles also were assessed. After OP, eight patients suffered from post-OP psychosis and nine from minor psychopathological symptoms. Post-OP psychopathology was significantly correlated with pre-OP psychopathological score as well as with state anxiety, pre- and post-OP stress, and the use of a self-controlling coping style. Serum cortisol, beta-endorphin, norepinephrine, and TSH levels were markedly elevated after OP. Cholesterol levels showed a decline. With regard to endocrine variables, the eight psychotic patients did not differ from 15 non-psychotic subjects, but a subgroup of three major depressed patients had distinctly elevated levels of cortisol and norepinephrine. For all 23 patients, pre-OP cholesterol correlated with pre-OP psychopathology and post-OP depression. Furthermore, post-OP depression was significantly correlated with both post-OP cortisol and norepinephrine. These results indicate the stressful nature of the OP and suggest a multifactorial association of endocrine and psychological variables with psychiatric complications after open-heart surgery.

Topics: Adult; Aged; beta-Endorphin; Cardiac Surgical Procedures; Cholesterol; Endorphins; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Male; Middle Aged; Neurosecretory Systems; Norepinephrine; Postoperative Complications; Psychotic Disorders; Thyrotropin

Therapeutic plasma monitoring of haloperidol, a major neuroleptic, measured by radioimmunoassay, has shown a rather good correlation between plasma level and dosage but with large interindividual variation in children as in adults; age seems not to have any effect on haloperidol metabolism. 80% of subjects present a concomitant prolactin levels variation, whereas in 20% no prolactin response is found. During acute kinetics of either a 10 mg oral haloperidol administration or a 250 mg intramuscular haloperidol decanoate injection, a parallel elevation of prolactin, cortisol, immunoreactive bêta-endorphin and bêta-lipotropin plasma levels occur, at the same time as haloperidol plasma levels. Those rise with a good equivalence between the two doses of the two forms.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; beta-Endorphin; Child; Delayed-Action Preparations; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Endorphins; Female; Growth Hormone; Haloperidol; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Injections, Intramuscular; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Pituitary Hormones, Anterior; Prolactin; Psychotic Disorders; Radioimmunoassay; Stuttering; Tic Disorders; Time Factors

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aggression; beta-Endorphin; Electric Stimulation; Endorphins; Epilepsy; Female; Humans; Male; Psychotic Disorders

Topics: beta-Endorphin; Bipolar Disorder; Depressive Disorder; Endorphins; Female; Humans; Male; Psychotic Disorders; Radioligand Assay; Receptors, Opioid; Schizophrenia

Mean plasma levels of beta-endorphin (beta EP), beta-lipotropin (beta LPH) and ACTH were significantly higher in 22 patients with primary affective disorders (PAD) and in 2 schizoaffective subjects off therapy since 10 days than in 22 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Desimipramine therapy (50-100 mg/day per os for 3-5 weeks) induced in parallel psychological improvement and fall in beta LPH-beta EP in 6 of 8 PAD patients treated, and a normalization of beta EP-beta LPH levels with minimal mood improvement in the 2 schizoaffective subjects. These results indicate that the opioid levels are increased in PAD and schizoaffective patients and normalized by the desimipramine therapy in those patients in whom the affective disorders improved.

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Adult; Affective Disorders, Psychotic; Aged; beta-Endorphin; beta-Lipotropin; Bipolar Disorder; Desipramine; Endorphins; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Psychotic Disorders

Plasma beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity was studied in 43 pregnant women at 36 weeks gestation and in 23 of these at delivery and 24 h post-partum; an attempt made to correlate changes with various social, psychological and obstetric factors, including the 'post-natal blues'. Beta-endorphin levels were elevated at 36 weeks gestation and term, increased to very high levels during labour and fell rapidly within 1 h of delivery. A negative correlation was observed between the woman's estimate of her pain in labour and the beta-endorphin levels post-partum, suggesting an analgesic role for beta-endorphin in labour. A positive correlation was also observed between the levels of beta-endorphin at delivery and the woman's attitude to her pregnancy at 36 weeks and a negative correlation between the 'post-natal blues score' and the beta-endorphin level at 36 weeks. However, the 'blues' did not correlate either with the beta-endorphin level at delivery or 24 h post-partum nor with its rate of fall in the first 24 h. Our general finding that there was no consistent social, psychological or obstetric factor which predisposes women to develop 'post-natal blues' still supports the hypothesis that humoral factors, of which beta-endorphin may be one, rather than psychological factors are important in the genesis of this syndrome.

Topics: beta-Endorphin; Endorphins; Female; Humans; Labor, Obstetric; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Psychotic Disorders; Puerperal Disorders

Topics: beta-Endorphin; Depressive Disorder; Double-Blind Method; Endorphins; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Naloxone; Prolactin; Psychotic Disorders; Psychotropic Drugs; Receptors, Opioid; Schizophrenia

Morning plasma concentrations of beta-endorphin immunoreactivity were significantly higher in a group of depressed patients meeting the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Major Depressive disorder or Schizo-affective disorder, depressed, than in age- and sex-matched groups of normal controls and psychiatric patients without affective disorders. Furthermore, physostigmine-stimulated release of beta-endorphin immunoreactivity was also significantly greater in the depressed patients. These results provide the first evidence for elevated plasma concentrations of beta-endorphin in depression and also represent further evidence for cholinergic supersensitivity in depression. These results suggest that elevated plasma concentrations of beta-endorphin and cholinergically stimulated hypothalamic-pituitary beta-endorphin release, might potentially represent biological state or trait markers for depression.

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; beta-Endorphin; Depressive Disorder; Double-Blind Method; Endorphins; Humans; Physostigmine; Psychotic Disorders; Random Allocation; Receptors, Cholinergic

In this paper we have reported the results of studies in psychiatric patient groups using the strategy of measuring opioid activity and beta-endorphin (ir) in CSF. Our findings do not lend support to the notion of excess endorphin activity in schizophrenia, but rather suggest the possibility of a decrease in endogenous opioid activity in some schizophrenic patients. In affectively ill patients our data suggest that there may be a relative change in endogenous opioid system activity across state change in manic-depressive illness. Who also found a relationship between nurses' ratings of anxiety and CSF opioid activity in depressed patients, although it is unknown whether this directly relates to the pathophysiology of this symptom, or is related to stress response. The relationship between CSF opioid activity and HPA axis activity, as reflected by urinary free cortisol excretion, supports the notion of important physiologic relationships between these systems and raises the issue of a role for the endogenous opioid system in the abnormal activation of this system in depression. Finally, the finding of increased CSF opioid activity in anorexia nervosa patients when a minimum weight coupled with data relating endogenous opioids to eating behavior raises interesting questions regarding a possible involvement of the endogenous opioid system involvement in this illness.

Topics: Adult; Anorexia Nervosa; beta-Endorphin; Bipolar Disorder; Depressive Disorder; Endorphins; Female; Humans; Male; Psychotic Disorders; Schizophrenia

Topics: Animals; Antipsychotic Agents; Behavior, Animal; beta-Endorphin; Dopamine; Double-Blind Method; Endorphins; gamma-Endorphin; Humans; Peptide Fragments; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychotic Disorders; Rats; Receptors, Dopamine; Receptors, Opioid; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenic Psychology

The authors measured total opioid activity by radioreceptor assay in the CSF of 41 normal subjects and 89 unmedicated psychiatric patients, including schizophrenic, schizoaffective, depressed, and manic diagnostic groups. Schizophrenic men had significantly lower levels of opioid activity than the normal men, although these levels did not significantly differ from levels of other male patients. The authors observed higher opioid activity during mania than during depression in paired samples for 4 manic-depressive patients. beta-Endorphin immunoreactivity in a subsample of the same subjects was no different in the patient group than in the normal group, suggesting that the differences in CSF opioid activity between schizophrenic men and normal patients may be related to opioids other than beta-endorphin.

Topics: Adult; beta-Endorphin; Bipolar Disorder; Depressive Disorder; Endorphins; Female; Humans; Male; Mental Disorders; Psychotic Disorders; Radioligand Assay; Receptors, Opioid; Schizophrenia