Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-7nlkj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-28T16:34:49.289Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Endocrinology and the psychiatrist

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Caoimhghin Breathnach*
Affiliation:
University College Dublin, Department of Physiology, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2

Abstract

Objective: Exegetic review of the three areas of common interest to the endocrinologist and the psychiatrist. Method: Literature review through Science Citation Index and references in BMJ, Lancet, Nature, and Science. Findings: Psychiatric symptoms, specific in each condition, may develop in the course of a classical endocrinopathy. Though introduced as a possible diagnostic aid, titration of the hypothalamico-pituitary control of the adrenal and thyroid glands has proved to be a useful research strategy and possible prognostic indicator in affective disorders. Growth in our knowledge of the behaviour effects, distribution, function and pathophysiology of neuropeptides during the last two decades opens a magic casement on their potential value in neuropsychiatric theory and therapy. Conclusion: The psychiatrist ignores endocrinology at his peril, as does the endocrinologist psychiatry, especially in regard to the emerging role of peptides in neuromodulation.

Type
Review Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Simpson, SL. Hormones and behaviour pattern. BMJ 1957; 2: 839–43.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Sachar, EJ. Psychiatric disturbances associated with endocrine disorders. In: Aristi, S, editor. American handbook of psychiatry. Vol 4. 2nd ed. New York: Basic Books, 1974: 299313.Google Scholar
3.Reus, VI. Behavioural disturbances associated with endocrine disorders. Annu Rev Med 1986; 37: 205–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Martin, JB, Reichlin, S. Clinical neuroendocrinology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Davis, 1987: 655–67.Google Scholar
5.Fletcher, C. One way of coping with diabetes. BMJ 1980; 1: 1115–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Wilkinson, DG. Psychiatric aspects of diabetes mellitus. Br J Psychiatry 1981; 138: 19. Tattersall RB. Br J Psychiatry 1981; 139: 485-93. Lawson JS, Erdahl DL, Monga TN, Bird CE, Donald MW, Burridge, Letemenda FJJ. Br J Psychiatry 1984; 145: 263-8. Surridge DHC. Br J Psychiatry 1984; 145: 269-76.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Breathnach, CS. Neural integration of the hormonal contributions to homeostasis. Ir J Psychol Med 1990; 7: 154–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Bernardis, LL, Bellinger, LL. The dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus revisited: 1986 update. Brain Res Rev 1987; 12: 321–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Luiten, PGM, ter Horst, GJ, Steffens, AB. The hypothalamus, intrinsic connections and outflow pathways to the endocrine system in relation to the control of feeding and metabolism. Prog Neurobiol 1987; 28: 154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10.Carroll, BG, Curtis, GC, Mendels, J. Neuroendocrine regulation in depression. II. Discrimination of depressed from non-depressed patients. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1976; 33: 1051–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Kurtz, NM, Rausch, JL. The dexamethasone suppression test in clinical psychiatry. In: Shah, NS, Donald, AG, editors. Psychoneuroendocrine dysfunction. New York: Plenum, 1984: 399411.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Von Zerssen, D, Berger, M, Doerr, P. Neuroendocrine dysfunction in subtypes of depression. In: Psychoneuroendocrine dysfunction [vide ref. 11]: 357–82.Google Scholar
13.Sharma, RP, Randey, GN, Janicak, PG, Peterson, J, Comaty, JE, Davis, JM. The effect of diagnosis and age on the DST: a meta-analytic approach. Biol Psychiatry 1988; 24: 555–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Coryell, W, Tsuang, D. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivity and psychosis: recovery during an 8-year follow-up. Am J Psychiatry 1992; 149: 1033–9.Google Scholar
15.Checkley, SA. Corticosteroid and growth hormone response to methylamphetamine in depressive illness. Psychol Med 1979; 9: 107–15. Neuroendocrine tests of monoamine function in man, a review of basic theory and its application to the study of depressive illness. Psychol Med 1980; 10: 35-53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Cowen, PJ, Charig, EM. Neuroendocrine responses to intravenous tryptophan in major depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1987; 44: 958–66.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Charlton, BG, Ferrier, IN. Hypothalamico-pituitary-adrenal axis abnormalities in depression – a review and a model. Psychol Med 1989; 19: 331–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18.Dallman, MF, Engeland, WC, McBride, MH. The neural regulation of compensatory adrenal growth. In: Krieger, DJ, Ganong, WF, editors. ACTH and related peptides. New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1977: 373–92.Google Scholar
19.Kastin, AJ, Schalch, DS, Ehrensing, RH, Anderson, MS. Improvement in mental depression with decreased thyrotropin response after administration of thyrotropin releasing hormone. Lancet 1972; 2: 740–2.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Prange, AJ Jr.Wilson, IC, Lara, PP, Alltop, LB, Breese, GR. Effects of thyrotropin-releasing hormone in depression. Lancet 1972; 2: 9991002.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21.Gold, MS, Pottash, ALC, Ryan, N, Sweeney, DR, Davies, RK, Martin, DM. TRH-induced TSH response in unipolar, bipolar and secondary depression: possible utility in clinical assessment and differential diagnosis. Psychoneuroendocrinology 1980; 5: 147–55.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22.Gold, MS, Pottash, AC, Extein, I. The TRH test in the diagnosis of affective disorders and schizophrenia. Psychoneuroendocrine dysfunction [vide ref. 11]: 413–30.Google Scholar
23.Prange, AJ Jr.Lorsen, PT. Aspects of thyroid axis function in depression. Psychneuroendocrine dysfunction [vide ref. 11]: 431–42.Google Scholar
24.Baumgartner, A, Graf, K-J, Kurten, I, Meinhold, H, Schalz, P. Neuroendocrinological investigations during sleep deprivation in depression: I. Early morning levels. Biol Psychiatry 1990; 28: 556–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25.Hokfelt, T. Neuropeptides in perspective: the last ten years. Neuron 1991; 7: 867–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26.Lundberg, JM, Hokfelt, T. Coexistence of peptides and classical transmitters. Trends in Neuroscience 1983; 6: 325–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27.Wiesenfeld-Hallin, Z, Villar, MJ, Fahrenkrug, J, Hokfelt, T. On the role of galanin, substance P and other neuropeptides in primary sensory neurons of cat: studies with spinal reflex excitability and peripheral axotomy. Eur J Neurosci 1990; 2: 733–43.Google Scholar
28.Parnavelas, JG. Neurotransmitters in the cerebral cortex. Prog Brain Res 1990; 85: 1327.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
29.Hayaski, M. Ontogeny of some neuropeptides in the primate brain. Prog Neurobiol 1992; 38: 231–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30.Davies, P, Katzman, R, Terry, RD. Reduced somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in cerebral cortex from cases of Alzheimer disease and Alzheimer senile dementia. Nature 1980; 288: 279–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
31.Travis, GH, Sutcliffe, JG. Phenol emulsion-enhanced DNA-driven subtractive cDNA cloning isolation of low-abundance monkey cortex-specific mRNA. Proc Nat Acad Sci U S A 1988; 85: 1696–700.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
32.Chan-Palay, V, Lang, W, Allen, YS, Haeslerll, , Polak, JM. Cortical neurons immuno-reactive with antisera against neuropeptide Y are altered in Alzheimer's-type dementia. J Comp Neurol 1985; 238: 390400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
33.Silver, AJ, Morley, JE. Role of CCK in regulation of food intake. Prog Neurobiol 1991; 36: 2334.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
34.Schwartz, MW. Insulin in the brain: a hormonal regulator of energy balance. Endocr Rev 1992; 13: 387414.Google Scholar
35.Pardridge, WM. Receptor-mediated peptide transport through the blood-brain barrier. Endocr Rev 1986; 7: 314–30.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
36.Figlewicz, DP, Stein, LJ, West, D, Porte, D Jr, Woods, SC. Intracisternal insulin alters sensitivity to CCK-induced meal suppression in baboons. Am J Physiol 1986; 250: R856–60.Google ScholarPubMed
37.Glowa, JR, Barrett, JE, Russell, J, Gold, PW. Effects of corticotrophin releasing hormone on appetitive behaviours. Peptides 1992; 13:609–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
38.Malek-Ahmadi, P. Substance P and neuropsychiatrie disorders: an overview. Neurosci Biobehav Res 1992; 16: 365–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
39.Deutch, AY, Maggio, JE, Bannon, MJ, Kalivas, PW, Tarn, SY, Goldstein, M, Roth, RH. Substance K and substance P differentially modulate mesolimbic and mesocortical systems. Peptides 1985; 6(2 Suppl): 113–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
40.van Leeuwen, FW. Vasopressin receptors in the brain and pituitary. In: Gash, DM, Baer, GJ, editors. Vasopressin, principles and properties. New York: Plenum, 1987: 477–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
41.Doczi, T, Joo, F, Szerdahelyi, T, Bodosi, M. Regulation of brain water and electrolyte contents: the possible involvement of central atrial natriuretic factor. Neurosurgery 1987; 21: 454–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
42.Giordano, J, Hartig, PR. In vivo labelling indicates that CSF serotonin activates the 5-HT1c receptor on the apical surface of the choroid plexus epithelium. Neuroscience 1987; 22: 223P.Google Scholar
43.Hartig, PR. Serotonin 5-HT1c receptors: what do they do? In: Mylecharane, A, De La Lande, , editors. Serotonin, actions, receptors, pathophysiology. London: Macmillan, 1989: 180–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
44.Nilsson, C, Lindvall-Axelsson, M, Owman, C. Neuroendocrine regulatory mechanisms in the choroid plexus-cerebrospinal fluid system. Brain Res Rev 1992; 17: 109–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
45.Banki, CM, Karmacsi, L, Bissette, G, Nemeroff, CB. Cerebrospinal fluid peptides in dementia. Biol Psychiatry 1992; 32: 452–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
46.Banki, CM, Karmacsi, L, Bissette, G, Nemeroff, CB. Cerebrospinal neuropeptides in mood disorder and dementia. J Affect Disord 1992; 25: 3945.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
47.Zlokovic, BV, Lipovac, MN, Begley, DJ, Davson, H, Rakie, L. Transport of leucine-enkephalin across the blood-brain barrier in the perfused guinea pig brain. J Neurochem 1987; 49: 310–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
48.Bodor, N, Prokai, L, Wu, W-M, Farag, H, Jonalagadda, S, Kawamura, M, Simpkins, J. A strategy for delivering peptides into the nervous system by sequential metabolism. Science 1992; 257: 1698–700.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
49.Friden, PM, Walus, LR, Watson, P, Doctrow, SR, Kozarich, JW, Bäckman, , et al. Blood-brain barrier penetration and in vivo activity of an NGF conjugate. Science 1993; 259: 373-7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
50.Smart, D, Shaw, C, Johnston, CF, Halton, DW, Buchanan, KD. Discussion paper: towards a systematic classification for regulatory peptides. Regul Peptides 1993; 44: 305–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed