BACKGROUND: Drugs that potentiate brain serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission are effective in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but it is unclear whether disturbances in brain 5-HT function play a role in the pathophysiology of OCD. METHOD: We studied the prolactin response to the selective 5-HT releasing agent d-fenfluramine in 14 non-depressed, drug-free OCD patients, and 14 healthy controls matched for age and gender. RESULTS: The prolactin response to d-fenfluramine was significantly increased in OCD patients compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: The disparate results of studies of 5-HT neuroendocrine function in OCD make it unlikely that disturbances of brain 5-HT function play a central role in the pathophysiology of OCD. Increased brain 5-HT neurotransmission in non-depressed OCD subjects may represent an adaptive neurobehavioural mechanism which can be amplified to therapeutic advantage by treatment with 5-HT potentiating drugs.
BACKGROUND: Drugs that potentiate brain serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission are effective in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but it is unclear whether disturbances in brain 5-HT function play a role in the pathophysiology of OCD. METHOD: We studied the prolactin response to the selective 5-HT releasing agent d-fenfluramine in 14 non-depressed, drug-free OCDpatients, and 14 healthy controls matched for age and gender. RESULTS: The prolactin response to d-fenfluramine was significantly increased in OCDpatients compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: The disparate results of studies of 5-HT neuroendocrine function in OCD make it unlikely that disturbances of brain 5-HT function play a central role in the pathophysiology of OCD. Increased brain 5-HT neurotransmission in non-depressed OCD subjects may represent an adaptive neurobehavioural mechanism which can be amplified to therapeutic advantage by treatment with 5-HT potentiating drugs.
Authors: Katharine A Phillips; Dan J Stein; Scott L Rauch; Eric Hollander; Brian A Fallon; Arthur Barsky; Naomi Fineberg; David Mataix-Cols; Ygor Arzeno Ferrão; Sanjaya Saxena; Sabine Wilhelm; Megan M Kelly; Lee Anna Clark; Anthony Pinto; O Joseph Bienvenu; Joanne Farrow; James Leckman Journal: Depress Anxiety Date: 2010-06 Impact factor: 6.505
Authors: Catherine F Moore; Julia I Panciera; Valentina Sabino; Pietro Cottone Journal: Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci Date: 2018-03-19 Impact factor: 6.237
Authors: Julija Gecaite-Stonciene; Naomi A Fineberg; Aurelija Podlipskyte; Julius Neverauskas; Alicja Juskiene; Narseta Mickuviene; Julius Burkauskas Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-11-03 Impact factor: 3.390