Clinical, Biochemical, and Hormonal Aspects of Treat- ment With Des-Tyrl-Gamma-Endorphin in Schizo- phrenia

Des-tyrt-y-endorphin (DTrE) was administered intramuscularly in a dose of 1 mg/day for 10 days to 18 neuroleptic-free schizophrenic patients in a double-blind crossover design. Six patients showed either a slight or no antipsychotic response; seven patients showed a moderate antipsychotic response; and the remaining five patients showed a marked antipsychotic response. DTyE led to a decrease of plasma prolactin levels in patients treated with DTyE in the first period of experimental treatment as compared to those treated with placebo. Neither plasma levels of growth hormone and cortisol nor cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of homovanillic acid, Shydroxyindoleacetic acid, and 3-methoxy-4hydroxyphenylglycol were affected by DTyE. Patients suffering from a hebephrenic or paranoid type of schizophrenia and those presenting relatively fewer negative symptoms were most susceptible to treatment with DTyE. These data confirm and extend previous findings that DTyE has antipsychotic properties in a number of schizophrenic patients.

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