Differences and variability in plasma noradrenaline between depressive and anxiety disorders

Abstract

Plasma noradrenaline (NA) levels were compared between two groups of patients with major depressive disorder (melancholic/psychotic and non-melancholic), patients with general anxiety disorders and healthy controls. The melancholic/psychotic depressed group had the highest plasma NA levels. This only reached statistical significance with respect to the control group. Within the depressed group, there was no association between plasma NA levels and age, weight loss, ratings of depression, anxiety or plasma cortisol levels. Variance of plasma NA was greatest in the melancholic/psychotic depressed group. A review of previous studies shows an association between raised plasma NA, depressive illness and alterations in NA variance. This association may be limited to melancholic/psychotic depressed patients. The above findings support a dysregulated noradrenergic system in depressive illness.

The effects of reboxetine, a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, on the plasma noradrenaline response to a cold pressor test in healthy volunteers

“…There is consistent evidence that plasma NA is raised during individual episodes of melancholic or psychotic depressive illness (Kelly and Cooper, 1998a). Furthermore, several studies suggest that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) reduces plasma NA in these patients and this reduction shows a strong tendency to be correlated with improvement in depressive symptoms (Cooper et al, 1985;Werstiuk et al, 1996;Kelly and Cooper, 1997).…”

“…Concentrations of NA were measured in plasma samples by a high pressure liquid chromatographic method with electrochemical detection as previously described (Krstulovic et al, 1981;Kelly and Cooper, 1998a). Recovery of catecholamines equalled 85% and the coefficient of variation in the range 50-5000 pg/ml NA was 8%.…”

A Polymorphism of the Norepinephrine Transporter Gene in Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia: Lack of Association

“…However, Roy et al [2] found that patients suffering from melancholic depression have elevated plasma levels of norepinephrine, and Lake et al [3] demonstrated that the supine levels of norepinephrine in patients with affective disorders (unipolar and bipolar) were significantly higher than in the control group, and manic patients had the highest mean norepinephrine levels. There is consistent evidence that the plasma norepinephrine level is raised during an individual episode of major depressive disorder [4]. Also, several studies suggest that electroconvulsive therapy reduces the plasma norepinephrine level in major depressive patients and that this reduction shows a relationship with improvement of depressive symptoms [4].…”

“…There is consistent evidence that the plasma norepinephrine level is raised during an individual episode of major depressive disorder [4]. Also, several studies suggest that electroconvulsive therapy reduces the plasma norepinephrine level in major depressive patients and that this reduction shows a relationship with improvement of depressive symptoms [4].…”

Alteration of immune markers in a group of melancholic depressed patients and their response to electroconvulsive therapy

“…The proposed concept of melancholia as a biologically distinct subtype is supported by studies showing that it is more frequently associated with higher plasma noradrenaline levels (Gold et al, 2005; Kelly and Cooper, 1997; 1998); hypercortisolaemia, as reflected in non-suppression of the dexamethasone suppression test (Shorter and Fink, 2010; Taylor and Fink, 2006); characteristic disturbances of the sleep architecture in electroencephalogram profiles (Armitage, 2007); and psychomotor disturbance, as measured by the CORE scale (Parker & Hadzi-Pavlovic, 1996). Melancholia has historically been considered to be predictive of a positive response to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and recent studies support this hypothesis (Fink et al, 2007; Hickie et al, 1996; Parker et al, 2001; Rasmussen, 2011).…”