The dopamine system challenge in affective disorders: a review of behavioral and neuroendocrine responses.

The authors review studies of dopaminergic agents in affective disorder patients. Although evidence from cerebrospinal fluid studies, from the pharmacology of the antidepressants, and from several clinical trials implicates the dopamine system in the regulation of mood or activity level, as yet, no replicated study shows that affective level disorder patients are different from normals and their neuroendocrine response to the dopaminergic agents L-dopa and apomorphine. Some possible reasons for this apparent normality of neuroendocrine response are discussed.