Clinical, biochemical, and hormonal aspects of treatment with des-tyr 1-gamma-endorphin in schizophrenia

Abstract

Des-tyr 1- y-endorphin (DT yE) was administered intramuscularly in a dose of 1 mg/day for 10 days to 18 neuroleptic-free schizophrenic patients in a double-blind crossover design. Six patients showed either a slight or no antipsychotic response; seven patients showed a moderate antipsychotic response; and the remaining five patients showed a marked antipsychotic response. DT yE led to a decrease of plasma prolactin levels in patients treated with DT yE in the first period of experimental treatment as compared to those treated with placebo. Neither plasma levels of growth hormone and cortisol nor cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of homovanillic acid, 5-hydroxyindoleactic acid, and 3-methoxy-4- hydroxyphenylglycol were affected by DT yE. Patients suffering from a hebephrenic or paranoid type of schizophrenia and those presenting relatively fewer negative symptoms were most susceptible to treatment with DT yE. These data confirm and extend previous findings that DT yE has antipsychotic properties in a number of schizophrenic patients.