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Blunting of neuroendocrine responses to infusion of L-tryptophan in women with perimenstrual mood change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

John Bancroft ,
Ann Cook ,
David Davidson ,
John Bennie  and
Guy Goodwin
John Bancroft*
Affiliation:
MRC Reproductive Biology Unit; MRC Brain Metabolism Unit, Edinburgh
Ann Cook
Affiliation:
MRC Reproductive Biology Unit; MRC Brain Metabolism Unit, Edinburgh
David Davidson
Affiliation:
MRC Reproductive Biology Unit; MRC Brain Metabolism Unit, Edinburgh
John Bennie
Affiliation:
MRC Reproductive Biology Unit; MRC Brain Metabolism Unit, Edinburgh
Guy Goodwin
Affiliation:
MRC Reproductive Biology Unit; MRC Brain Metabolism Unit, Edinburgh
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr John Bancroft, MRC Reproductive Biology Unit, 37 Chalmers Street, Edinburgh EH3 9EW.
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Synopsis

The neuroendocrine response to L-tryptophan infusion was measured at two stages of the menstrual cycle, premenstrually and postmenstrually, in 13 women with and 13 women without premenstrual depression (the MC and NMC groups respectively). Previous studies have shown that in non-depressed women, this challenge test results in an increase in circulating prolactin and growth hormone. In depressed women both responses are blunted. In this study the growth hormone and cortisol responses were smaller in the MC group than the NMC group on both occasions. The prolactin response was blunted premenstrually compared with postmenstrually in both groups. These findings suggest that women who experience premenstrual depression may have neuroendocrine abnormalities throughout the cycle. The neurotransmitter abnormalities reflected in these altered endocrine responses appear to interact with neuroendocrine changes that normally occur premenstrually resulting in a vulnerability to depression at that phase of the cycle.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , May 1991 , pp. 305 - 312
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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