Abstract
Neuropharmacologic probes to assess central nervous system (CNS) serotonergic responsivity (e.g., dl-fenfluramine) stimulate serotonergic neurotransmission, thereby causing proportional release of pituitary-derived hormones into the circulation. Individual differences in these hormonal responses are thus thought to reflect dimensional variability in central serotonergic activity, which may, in turn, underlie variation in serotonin-related traits of personality (e.g., impulsivity, behavioral inhibition, harm avoidance). However, the long-term temporal stability of neuropharmacologic indices of CNS serotonergic responsivity has not previously been tested in nonpsychiatric patients. dl-Fenfluramine was administered here to 57 adults, aged 24–60 years, on two occasions 6 months apart, to examine the retest reliability of fenfluramine-induced prolactin [PRL] response to fenfluramine. Baseline PRL concentration (i.e., before administration of fenfluramine) was highly stable over the 6 months (r = 0.88). Variability in serotonergic responsivity, adjusted for baseline PRL concentration, age, sex, and drug concentration during the challenge, was moderately reproducible (r = 0.50 for peak ΔPRL and 0.57 for PRL “area under the curve,” p < .0001). These findings are consistent with speculation that variability in indices of central serotonergic function reflects a temporally stable dimension of individual differences.
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This research was supported by National Institutes of Health grant HL46328 (MFM).
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Flory, J., Manuck, S. & Muldoon, M. Retest Reliability of Prolactin Response to dl-Fenfluramine Challenge in Adults. Neuropsychopharmacol 26, 269–272 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0893-133X(01)00330-X
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0893-133X(01)00330-X
