@article{ref1,
title="Dopamine and serotonin function in untreated schizophrenia: clinical correlates of the apomorphine and d-fenfluramine tests",
journal="Psychoneuroendocrinology",
year="2003",
author="Duval, Fabrice and Mokrani, Marie-Claude and Monreal, José and Bailey, Paul and Valdebenito, Marcelo and Crocq, Marc-Antoine and Macher, Jean-Paul",
volume="28",
number="5",
pages="627-642",
abstract="This study examined the prolactin (PRL), adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol responses to the direct DA receptor agonist apomorphine (APO) and the selective 5HT-releasing agent d-fenfluramine (d-FEN) in 20 untreated inpatients with DSM-IV schizophrenia and without a history of suicide attempt, compared to 23 hospitalized healthy controls. We hypothesized that different patterns of responsiveness of the DA and 5-HT systems might be associated with specific schizophrenic symptom clusters. A positive correlation was observed between pituitary-adrenal response to APO and d-FEN tests (i.e. deltaACTH and deltacortisol) in the overall population and in schizophrenic patients. Pituitary-adrenal response to APO was lower in patients than in normal controls. Moreover, lower pituitary-adrenal response to APO and d-FEN was associated with increased severity of BPRS thought disturbance score. Lower pituitary-adrenal responses to APO (and to a lesser degree to d-FEN) differentiated paranoid from disorganized schizophrenic patients. Neither PRL suppression to APO, nor PRL stimulation to d-FEN were altered in schizophrenic patients. Our results suggest that decreased hypothalamic DA receptor activity (possibly secondary to increased presynaptic DA release) together with relatively decreased 5-HT tone characterize paranoid SCH, while normal hypothalamic DA receptor activity together with relatively increased 5-HT tone characterize the disorganized SCH subtype.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0306-4530",
doi="10.1016/s0306-4530(02)00047-1",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0306-4530(02)00047-1"
}