Dexamethasone increases plasma free dopamine in man. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • In man, unconjugated plasma DA is normally undetectable or present in minute amounts. Twelve medication-free volunteers received a 1 mg dose of dexamethasone which produced pronounced increases of plasma free DA but not of other catecholamines. Mean plasma free dopamine levels after dexamethasone at 8 a.m. (155 +/- 102 pg/ml) and 4 p.m. (163 +/- 70 pg/ml) were significantly higher (p less than 0.001) than those at 8 a.m. (50 +/- 18 pg/ml) and 4 p.m. (42 +/- 7 pg/ml) before dexamethasone. Although the mechanism of increased dopaminergic activity after a dose of dexamethasone remains for future research, the data presented in this paper may explain the observations that corticosteroids lower prolactin levels and may induce psychiatric disturbances, as well as the finding that depressed patients with high postdexamethasone cortisol levels are frequently psychotic.

publication date

  • January 1, 1984

Research

keywords

  • Catecholamines
  • Dexamethasone
  • Hydrocortisone

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0021127098

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/0022-3956(84)90012-8

PubMed ID

  • 6492009

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 18

issue

  • 3