Leo Sher, M.D.

Ten years ago, our research paper, “Serotonergic responses in depressed patients with or without a history of alcohol use disorders and healthy controls” was published in the September 2008 issue of European Neuropsychopharmacology (1). We compared serotonin function in major depressive disorder with co-occurring alcohol use disorder, major depressive disorder without co-occurring alcohol use disorder and healthy controls.

The major depressive disorder with co-occurring alcohol use disorder group consisted of 62 patients (34 males and 28 females), the major depressive disorder without co-occurring alcohol use disorder group consisted of 75 patients (27males and 48 females), and the healthy controls group consisted of 32 subjects (19 males and 13 females). Depressed patients had a score of 16 or more on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Subjects were administered D,L-fenfluramine orally. Blood samples were drawn 15 minites before capsule administration, at the time of administration of the capsule and then hourly for 5 hours. Blood samples were analyzed for prolactin, fenfluramine, and norfenfluramine levels. The study was single-blind.

Controlling for gender, prolactin responses were lower in the major depressive disorder with co-occurring alcohol use disorder group compared to the major depressive disorder without co-occurring alcohol use disorder or the healthy controls group. Controlling for gender and aggression, prolactin responses in the major depressive disorder with co-occurring alcohol use disorder group remained significantly lower compared to the healthy controls group but the difference between the major depressive disorder with co-occurring alcohol use disorder and the major depressive disorder without co-occurring alcohol use disorder only groups disappeared. Our results suggest that the difference in prolactin responses could be attributed to higher aggression scores in the major depressive disorder with co-occurring alcohol use disorder group compared to the major depressive disorder without co-occurring alcohol use disorder group.

Reference

1. Sher L, Stanley BH, Cooper TB, Malone KM, Mann JJ, Oquendo MA. Serotonergic responses in depressed patients with or without a history of alcohol use disorders and healthy controls. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2008 Sep;18(9):692-9.