Abstract
Cholinergic supersensitivity has been postulated to be an etiologic factor in affective disorder. After several pilot dose-response studies, we administered 8 mg of the cholinergic agonist arecoline subcutaneously to eight pairs of normal volunteer identical twins and eight bipolar patients currently euthymic and unmedicated. During the hour following arecoline administration, the Profile of Mood States (POMS) showed an increase in total mood disturbance in both patient and control groups. Mean systolic blood pressure, pulse, plasma cortisol, prolactin, and growth hormone also increased. Anger and elation scores on the POMS showed significant concordance in identical twins, as did change in prolactin, implying that these are the components of drug response possibly influenced by genetic factors. None of these responses differentiated well state patients from controls. Thus, mood, behavioral, and neurochemical responses to arecoline, which appears to have nonspecific neurochemical effects at the dose employed, are not markers of vulnerability to affective illness.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.