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Prolactin response to dexamethasone: A study on normal controls and depressed patients
Author(s) -
Rupprecht R.,
Barocka A.,
Jecht E.,
Noder M.,
Pichl J.,
Schwarz W.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1987.tb02876.x
Subject(s) - prolactin , dexamethasone , medicine , endocrinology , psychology , depression (economics) , hormone , economics , macroeconomics
Pre‐ and post‐dexamethasone prolactin and cortisol levels of 40 endogenous and non‐endogenous depressive patients and of 20 controls were studied. Dexamethasone had a suppressive effect on prolactin levels, which was expressed more in normal controls and in non‐endogenous depressive patients than in endogenous depression. A “prolactin suppression test” by dexamethasone was constructed and provided comparable results to the usual DST. However, it failed to be a specific marker for endogenous depression. There are close relationships between various endocrine axes, which might be altered in depression.