TY - JOUR
T1 - Behavioral, physiological, and neuroendocrine responses to arecoline in normal twins and "well state" bipolar patients
AU - Nurnberger, John I.
AU - Jimerson, David C.
AU - Simmons-Alling, Susan
AU - Tamminga, Carol
AU - Nadi, N. Suzan
AU - Lawrence, Dawn
AU - Sitaram, Natraj
AU - Gillin, J. Christian
AU - Gershon, Elliot S.
PY - 1983/7
Y1 - 1983/7
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Arecoline
KW - behavioral effects
KW - bipolar illness
KW - genetic marker
KW - neuroendocrine effects
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0020634411&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0020634411&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/0165-1781(83)90043-4
DO - 10.1016/0165-1781(83)90043-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 6312479
AN - SCOPUS:0020634411
SN - 0165-1781
VL - 9
SP - 191
EP - 200
JO - Psychiatry research
JF - Psychiatry research
IS - 3
ER -