TY - JOUR
T1 - Noradrenergic responses to clonidine in acute and remitted depressed male patients
AU - Trestman, Robert L.
AU - Lawrence, Timothy L.
AU - Coccaro, Emil F.
AU - Harvey, Philip
AU - Bernstein, David
AU - Lawrence, Edith K.
AU - Condello, Virginia
AU - Mahon, Theresa
AU - Yang, Ren Kui
AU - Knott, Peter
AU - Horvath, Thomas B.
AU - Siever, Larry J.
PY - 1992/9
Y1 - 1992/9
N2 - To investigate noradrenergic function in depression, plasma 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), plasma norepinephrine (NE), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rate responses to intravenous clonidine (2 μ/kg), an α2-adrenergic agonist, were measured in 27 acutely depressed patients, 18 remitted depressed patients, and 27 normal control subjects; a placebo infusion was administered to a subgroup. Clonidine compared with placebo, over a 150-minute time course, decreased plasma NE, MAP, and heart rate, but not plasma MHPG, in the control subjects. Plasma MHPG, plasma NE, MAP, and heart rate at baseline or in response to clonidine and placebo over 150 minutes did not indicate any group differences. The only significant plasma MHPG response to clonidine in the normal control subjects occurred 60 minutes after the infusion. A significantly diminished plasma MHPG response to clonidine at 60 minutes was found in the acutely depressed group compared with the normal control subjects. These results suggest that peripheral inhibitory noradrenergic responses to clonidine are normal in depressed patients, while plasma MHPG responses to clonidine, which have a limited central contribution, appear to be a weak reflection of central noradrenergic function and appear insufficiently robust for a meaningful evaluation of hypothetical group differences in central inhibitory α2-adrenergic activity in this population.
AB - To investigate noradrenergic function in depression, plasma 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), plasma norepinephrine (NE), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rate responses to intravenous clonidine (2 μ/kg), an α2-adrenergic agonist, were measured in 27 acutely depressed patients, 18 remitted depressed patients, and 27 normal control subjects; a placebo infusion was administered to a subgroup. Clonidine compared with placebo, over a 150-minute time course, decreased plasma NE, MAP, and heart rate, but not plasma MHPG, in the control subjects. Plasma MHPG, plasma NE, MAP, and heart rate at baseline or in response to clonidine and placebo over 150 minutes did not indicate any group differences. The only significant plasma MHPG response to clonidine in the normal control subjects occurred 60 minutes after the infusion. A significantly diminished plasma MHPG response to clonidine at 60 minutes was found in the acutely depressed group compared with the normal control subjects. These results suggest that peripheral inhibitory noradrenergic responses to clonidine are normal in depressed patients, while plasma MHPG responses to clonidine, which have a limited central contribution, appear to be a weak reflection of central noradrenergic function and appear insufficiently robust for a meaningful evaluation of hypothetical group differences in central inhibitory α2-adrenergic activity in this population.
KW - 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol
KW - Affective disorder
KW - heart rate
KW - mean arterial pressure
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U2 - 10.1016/0165-1781(92)90053-6
DO - 10.1016/0165-1781(92)90053-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 1332095
AN - SCOPUS:0026451538
VL - 43
SP - 199
EP - 213
JO - Psychiatry Research
JF - Psychiatry Research
SN - 0165-1781
IS - 3
ER -