Anonymous
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Search
Editing
Buspirone challenge test
(section)
From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history
Namespaces
Page
Discussion
More
More
Page actions
Read
Edit
Edit source
History
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
== ME/CFSĀ studies == ====== Bakheit et al 1992 ====== The Bakheit 1992 study<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal | last = Bakheit | first = A.M. | last2 = Behan | first2 = P.O. | last3 = Dinan | first3 = T.G. | last4 = Gray | first4 = C.E. | last5 = O'Keane | first5 = V. | date = 1992-04-18 | title = Possible upregulation of hypothalamic 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors in patients with postviral fatigue syndrome. | url = https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1881733/ | journal = BMJ : British Medical Journal | volume = 304 | issue = 6833 | pages = 1010ā1012|issn=0959-8138|pmc=1881733|pmid=1586780}}</ref> tested 15 ME/CFS patients, 13 patients with depression, and 13 healthy controls using the buspirone challenge test. They found that although baseline blood serum prolactin levels were very similar for all three groups, a single 60 mg oral dose of buspirone stimulated the release of significantly higher amounts of prolactin in ME/CFSĀ patients than it did in healthy controls and depressed patients, indicating that the buspirone challenge test can distinguish ME/CFS patients from controls, as well as distinguishing ME/CFS from depression. One hour after buspirone administration, the mean serum prolactin level in male ME/CFSĀ patients was 2.25 times that of male healthy controls, and in female patients 3.7 times that of female controls (in females, the buspirone challenge test was conducted during the luteal phase of menstruation). The administration of buspirone was also found to cause excessive [[fatigue]], [[Dizziness|lightheadedness]] and nausea in ME/CFSĀ patients but not in controls. The authors hypothesized that the prolactin release in response to buspirone administration is mediated by 5-hydroxytryptamine ([[serotonin]]) receptors since the release can be blocked by specific serotonin antagonists such as methysergide and metergoline. The authors said their findings suggest an increased sensitivity of serotonin receptors in the hypothalamus of ME/CFSĀ patients. ====== Richardson 1995 ====== [[John Richardson|Dr John Richardson]]'s 1995 study<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal | last = Richardson | first = John | date = Jan 1995 | title = Disturbance of Hypothalamic Function and Evidence for Persistent Enteroviral Infection in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | url =https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J092v01n02_05 | journal = Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome|language=en | volume = 1 | issue = 2 | pages = 59ā66|doi=10.1300/j092v01n02_05|issn=1057-3321}}</ref> administered the buspirone challenge test to 25 ME/CFSĀ patients (who were positive for chronic [[enterovirus]]Ā infection, with enteroviralĀ VP1 protein detected in their blood) as well as 25 controls. In this study Richardson measured the blood plasma prolactin level three times: the night before the test, then again in the morning just before the test, and finally again 1 hour after administering a 50 mg oral dose of buspirone as a buspirone challenge. Richardson found that patients and controls did not differ in their basal levels of plasma prolactin before the test, but the mean buspirone-stimulated release of prolactin in ME/CFSĀ patients was 3 times greater than the release stimulated in healthy controls, a highly significant difference. In terms of the ability of this test to accurately discriminate between patients and healthy controls, Richardson foundĀ that a prolactin ratio of 2.5 and upwards encompasses 87% of patients, and a ratio of less than 2.5 encompasses a similar proportion of controls. So this means the test sensitivity and specificity are both 87%Ā (the prolactin ratio refers to the person's buspirone-stimulated blood prolactin level, divided by the mean buspirone-stimulated prolactin level of the healthy controls). Richardson also found that the severity of [[Sleep dysfunction|shift in the sleep/wake cycle]] that the ME/CFSĀ patients suffered from (which he termed "owl syndrome") correlated with the degree of buspirone-stimulated prolactin release he measured in the buspirone challenge test. ====== Cleare et al 1995 ====== The [[Anthony Cleare|Cleare]] 1995 study<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Cleare | first = A.J. | last2 = Bearn | first2 = J. | last3 = Allain | first3 = T. | last4 = McGregor | first4 = A. | last5 = Wessely | first5 = S. | last6 = Murray | first6 = R.M. | last7 = O'Keane | first7 = V. | date = 1995-08-18 | title = Contrasting neuroendocrine responses in depression and chronic fatigue syndrome | url =https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8550954 | journal = Journal of Affective Disorders | volume = 34 | issue = 4 | pages = 283ā289|issn=0165-0327|pmid=8550954}}</ref> found the selective serotonin-releasing agent d-fenfluramine elicited a high degree of prolactin release in ME/CFSĀ patients, an intermediate degree of release in healthy controls, and a low degree of release in depressed patients. The prolactin response to d-fenfluramine appears to be mediated by indirect activation of 5-HT2 receptors without 5-HT1A receptors playing a significant role.<ref name=":2" /> ====== Sharpe et al 1996 ====== The [[Michael Sharpe|Sharpe]] 1996 study<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal | last = Sharpe | first = M. | last2 = Clements | first2 = A. | last3 = Hawton | first3 = K. | last4 = Young | first4 = A.H. | last5 = Sargent | first5 = P. | last6 = Cowen | first6 = P.J. | date = 1996-11-04 | title = Increased prolactin response to buspirone in chronic fatigue syndrome | url =https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8938208 | journal = Journal of Affective Disorders | volume = 41 | issue = 1 | pages = 71ā76|issn=0165-0327|pmid=8938208}}</ref> orally administered 0.5 mg/kgĀ of buspirone in a single dose to 11 ME/CFSĀ patients and 11 healthy controls, and then measured their plasma prolactin levels every 30 minutes for the next 4 hours. They found ME/CFSĀ patients exhibited both a significantly higher buspirone-stimulated plasma prolactin peak, as well as a faster time to peak, than healthy controls. ME/CFSĀ patients also experienced more nausea and lightheadedness than controls in response to the buspirone. However, no significant differences in growth hormone secretion after stimulation by buspirone were observed in these two groups. The authors thus question whether ME/CFSĀ patients' exaggerated prolactin response to buspirone is caused by increased hypothalamic serotonin receptor sensitivity, as they point out both prolactin and growth hormone release is elicited by activation of hypothalamic 5-HT1A receptors,Ā and thus one might expect an exaggerated release of both these hormones in ME/CFSĀ patients. But since ME/CFSĀ patients' growth hormone responses to buspirone were not significantly raised compared to controls, the authors suggest this casts a degree of doubt (although with some caveats) on the hypothesis of increased hypothalamic serotonin receptor sensitivity in ME/CFS. As an alternative hypothesis, the authors point out buspirone binds to dopamine D2 receptors, and suggest the ability of buspirone to stimulate prolactin release might instead be primarily mediated by a dopamine receptor blockade.Ā ====== Sharma et al 2001 ====== The Sharma 2001 case study<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Sharma | first = A | last2 = Oyebode | first2 = F | last3 = Kendall | first3 = MJ | last4 = Jones | first4 = DA | date = Jan 2001 | title = Recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome associated with changes in neuroendocrine function. | url = https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1280066/ | journal = Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine | volume = 94 | issue = 1 | pages = 26ā27|doi=10.1177/014107680109400107|issn=0141-0768|pmc=1280066|pmid=11220065}}</ref> observed that the exaggerated buspirone-stimulated prolactin release of an ME/CFSĀ patient returned to normal once the patient had recovered from ME/CFS.
Summary:
Please make sure your edits are consistent with
MEpedia's guidelines
.
By saving changes, you agree to the
Terms of use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 3.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Navigation
Navigation
Skip to content
Main page
Browse
Become an editor
Random page
Popular pages
Abbreviations
Glossary
About MEpedia
Links for editors
Contents
Guidelines
Recent changes
Pages in need
Search
Help
Wiki tools
Wiki tools
Special pages
Page tools
Page tools
User page tools
More
What links here
Related changes
Page information
Page logs