Citation

Bunevicius R, Hinderliter AL, Light KC, Leserman J, Pedersen CA, Girdler SS. Biol. Psychol. 2005; 69(3): 281-296.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7175, Medical Research Bldg A, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7175, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.biopsycho.2004.08.002

PMID

15925031

Abstract

In women meeting strict criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), we examined whether clonidine, an alpha2-adrenergic receptor (AR) agonist, would have different effects on sexually abused versus non-abused PMDD women for measures of autonomic nervous system function. Twelve women meeting prospective, DSM-IV criteria for PMDD, five of whom had a history of sexual abuse, participated in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over design study, comparing 2 months of on oral clonidine (0.3 mg/day) with 2 months on active placebo. During the luteal phase that preceded randomization and following each two-month challenge, women were tested for cardiovascular measures at rest and in response to mental stress, and for resting plasma norepinephrine (NE) concentrations as well as beta1 and beta2-AR responsivity using the isoproterenol sensitivity test. Results revealed that in comparison to placebo, clonidine significantly reduced plasma norepinephrine concentrations, increased both beta1- and beta2-AR responsivity, and reduced resting and stress heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) (p < 0.05) in all PMDD women. With clonidine, sexually abused PMDD women exhibited greater decreases in resting and stress-induced HR (p < 0.01) and stress-induced systolic BP (p < 0.05), while non-abused PMDD women exhibited greater reductions in plasma NE concentration (p = 0.07), and greater increases in beta2-AR responsivity (p < 0.05) than abused PMDD women. These results suggest PMDD women with and without a history of sexual abuse respond differently to a clonidine challenge in measures reflecting autonomic nervous system functioning, indicating that abuse may modify presynaptic alpha2-AR function in PMDD.

Language: en