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Margaret Altemus, MD; Teresa Pigott, MD; Konstantine T. Kalogeras, MD; Mark Demitrack, MD; Billinda Dubbert, MSN; Dennis L. Murphy, MD; Philip W. Gold, MD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1992;49(1):9-20.

Abstract
• In light of prior data that the central administration of vasopressin in animals is associated with abnormal persistence of behaviors acquired under aversive conditioning, we studied the secretion of arginine vasopressin into the cerebrospinal fluid and plasma in patients with obsessivecompulsive disorder and controls. Patients with obsessivecompulsive disorder had significantly elevated basal levels of arginine vasopressin in the cerebrospinal fluid and significantly increased secretion of arginine vasopressin into the plasma in response to hypertonic saline administration. Moreover, seven of 12 patients with obsessivecompulsive disorder showed a loss of the normal linear relationship between plasma arginine vasopressin level and osmolality. In addition, cerebrospinal fluid corticotropin releasing hormone, which has synergistic effects with arginine vasopressin centrally and at the pituitary gland, was also significantly elevated in patients with obsessivecompulsive disorder compared with controls.

Author Affiliations
From the Clinical Neuroendocrinology Branch (Drs Altemus, Kalogeras, and Gold and Ms Dubbert) and the Laboratory of Clinical Science (Drs Pigott and Murphy), National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Md, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor (Dr Demitrack).

Footnotes
Accepted for publication June 27, 1991.

Reprint requests to Bldg 10, Room 3S231, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 (Dr Altemus).

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