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CSF prostaglandin-E in agoraphobia with panic attacks
R F Anton1, J C Ballenger, R B Lydiard
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425.
Biological Psychiatry
|July 1, 1989
Summary
This study found no difference in prostaglandin-E (PGE) levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) between agoraphobia patients and controls. However, lower PGE levels correlated with higher depression scores in patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Endocrinology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Prostaglandins (PGs) are implicated as neuromodulators in central catecholamine and endocrine systems.
- Dysregulation of these systems is observed in affective disorders, including agoraphobia with panic attacks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate basal prostaglandin-E (PGE) levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with agoraphobia and panic attacks.
- To explore the relationship between PGE levels and markers of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (ACTH and CRF) in this patient group.
Main Methods:
- Measurement of basal CSF PGE levels in 20 agoraphobia patients and 10 controls.
- Subgroup analysis of CSF adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) levels.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in CSF PGE levels between agoraphobia patients and controls.
- A negative correlation was found between CSF PGE levels and depression scores in patients.
- CSF PGE levels showed a trend towards correlation with CSF ACTH, particularly in female patients.
Conclusions:
- Findings do not support a primary abnormality in central nervous system (CNS) PGE production in agoraphobia with panic attacks.
- Further research is warranted to examine the modulatory role of PGE on the HPA axis in agoraphobia.