This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

A Controlled Study

Brian A. Lawlor, MD; Trey Sunderland, MD; Alan M. Mellow, MD, PhD; James L. Hill, PhD; Susan E. Molchan, MD; Dennis L. Murphy, MD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1989;46(6):542-549.

Abstract
• The serotonin agonist m-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP) was administered intravenously to 12 patients with Alzheimer's disease and ten age-matched controls. It produced distinct behavioral effects in both treatment groups; however, significantly greater responsivity to mCPP was found in patients with Alzheimer's disease than in controls in measures of psychomotor activation, restlessness, and perceptual abnormalities. Significant and similar increases in plasma prolactin and cortisol levels were found in both patients with Alzheimer's disease and controls following the administration of mCPP vs placebo. Furthermore, blood pressure and pulse changes following mCPP were not significantly different between the groups. Elderly controls, however, did show a significantly greater temperature response following mCPP than did patients with Alzheimer's disease. The overall cognitive effects of mCPP were minimal; however, mCPP produced significantly greater worsening in recent memory and knowledge memory in patients with Alzheimer's disease than in controls. These findings could not be explained by pharmacokinetic differences across populations, because plasma concentrations of mCPP were similar in patients with Alzheimer's disease and controls. The increased behavioral responsivity but unchanged neuroendocrine or other physiologic responsivity to mCPP may be related to damaged brain serotonin neurons or other neuronal systems that interact with serotonin neurons that have been found in postmortem and biopsy studies of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Author Affiliations
From the Unit on Geriatric Psychopharmacology, Section on Clinical Neuropharmacology, Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Md.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Oct 7, 1988.

Reprint requests to Section on Clinical Neuropharmacology, Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH Clinical Center, 10-3D41, Bethesda, MD 20892 (Dr Lawlor).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

The Role of Norepinephrine in the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia
Herrmann et al.
J. Neuropsychiatry Clin. Neurosi. 2004;16:261-276.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effects of rapid tryptophan depletion on salivary and plasma cortisol in Alzheimer's disease and the healthy elderly
Porter et al.
J Psychopharmacol 2002;16:73-78.
ABSTRACT  

Role of Serotonin in the Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia
Lanctôt et al.
J. Neuropsychiatry Clin. Neurosi. 2001;13:5-21.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in affective disorders -- I. Basic pharmacology
Goodnick and Goldstein
J Psychopharmacol 1998;12:5-S20.
ABSTRACT  

Effect of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Neuroendocrine and Behavioral Responses to the Serotonin Agonist m-Chlorophenylpiperazine in Women with Premenstrual Syndrome and Controls
Su et al.
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 1997;82:1220-1228.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Biologic Markers and Neurochemical Correlates of Agitation and Psychosis in Dementia
Kirby and Lawlor
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1995;8:S2-S7.
ABSTRACT  

Anticonvulsant and Other Non-neuroleptic Treatment of Agitation in Dementia
Tariot et al.
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1995;8:S28-S39.
ABSTRACT  

Pharmacotherapy of Cognitive Impairment in Alzheimer's Disease: A Review
Patel
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1995;8:81-95.
ABSTRACT  

Cholesterol and Violent Behavior
Santiago and Dalen
Arch Intern Med 1994;154:1317-1321.
ABSTRACT  

m-Chlorophenylpiperazine Effects in Neuroleptic-Free Schizophrenic Patients: Evidence Implicating Serotonergic Systems in the Positive Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Krystal et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1993;50:624-635.
ABSTRACT  

Effects of Clozapine and Fluphenazine Treatment on Responses to m-Chlorophenylpiperazine Infusions in Schizophrenia
Owen et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1993;50:636-644.
ABSTRACT  

Memory Improvement in Korsakoff's Disease With Fluvoxamine-Reply
Martin et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1990;47:978-979.
ABSTRACT