Plasma catecholamine levels before and after paroxetine treatment in patients with panic disorder

Abstract Catecholamines such as norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine are closely related to the autonomic nervous system, suggesting that panic disorder may involve elevated catecholamine levels. This study investigated basal and posttreatment catecholamine levels in patients with panic disorde...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychiatry research 2015-02, Vol.225 (3), p.471-475
Main Authors: Oh, Jae-Young, Yu, Bum-Hee, Heo, Jung-Yoon, Yoo, Ikki, Song, Hyemin, Jeon, Hong Jin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Arousal - drug effects
Catecholamine
Dopamine - blood
Epinephrine - blood
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Norepinephrine - blood
Panic disorder
Panic Disorder - blood
Panic Disorder - diagnosis
Panic Disorder - drug therapy
Panic Disorder - psychology
Paroxetine
Paroxetine - therapeutic use
Psychiatry
Reference Values
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract Catecholamines such as norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine are closely related to the autonomic nervous system, suggesting that panic disorder may involve elevated catecholamine levels. This study investigated basal and posttreatment catecholamine levels in patients with panic disorder. A total of 29 patients with panic disorder and 23 healthy controls participated in the study. Panic disorder patients received paroxetine treatment for 12 weeks after clinical tests and examination had been conducted. We investigated the difference in basal levels of catecholamine and measured the changes in catecholamine levels before and after drug treatment in panic disorder patients. The basal plasma epinephrine (48.87±6.18 pg/ml) and dopamine (34.87±3.57 pg/ml) levels of panic disorder patients were significantly higher than those (34.79±4.72 pg/ml and 20.40±3.53 pg/ml) of the control group. However, basal plasma norepinephrine levels did not show statistically significant differences between patients and controls. After drug therapy, plasma catecholamine levels were nonsignificantly decreased and norepinephrine levels showed a tendency toward a decrease that did not reach significance. In conclusion, this study suggests the possibility of a baseline increase of plasma catecholamine levels and activation of sympathetic nervous systems in patients with panic disorder which may normalize after treatment with paroxetine.
ISSN:0165-1781
1872-7123
DOI:10.1016/j.psychres.2014.11.065