Response of plasma beta-endorphin immunoreactivity to d-amphetamine and placebo in schizophrenic patients

S. Charles Schulz, Daniel P. van Kammen, David Pickar, Martin R. Cohen, Dieter Naber

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

The response of plasma β-endorphin (ir) to infusions of randomly assigned d-amphetamine (20 mg) and placebo was studied in eight schizophrenic patients. Although there was no statistically significant difference between the response to d-amphetamine and placebo, significant increases in plasma β-endorphin (ir) levels were observed following each infusion. Although heterogeneity in β-endorphin (ir) response was observed, individual differences did not relate to clinical variables such as abnormalities on computed tomography or "process-reactive" distinctions. An excessive β-endorphin response to placebo in schizophrenia is discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)171-178
Number of pages8
JournalPsychiatry Research
Volume7
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1982

Keywords

  • d-amphetamine
  • placebo response
  • schizophrenia
  • β-Endorphin

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