Elevated Cerebrospinal Fluid Substance P Concentrations in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depression

• DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.163.4.637
• Publication Date: 2006-04-03T20:23:07Z
• Authors: Thomas Geracioti
• Keywords: Depression

The authors tested the hypothesis that concentrations of pain-transmitting neuropeptide substance P are elevated in CSF patients with major depression or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which have overlapping symptoms. also sought to determine if CNS change on provocation symptoms PTSD patients.The measured medication-free either and healthy comparison subjects. Next, using a within-subject, crossover design, sampled for 6 hours through an indwelling subarachnoid catheter before, during, after exposure 60-minute traumatic neutral videotape stimulus.Both depressed had significantly basal concentrations. In challenge study, marked increases were found only precipitation increased by 169% 90.6% baseline levels at 10 70 minutes, respectively, start but changed 1.1% -8.1% minutes videotape.These results suggest involved both PTSD. increase during symptom-provoking stimulus, not implicates release mechanism acute These data reveal responds acutely psychological humans.