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Dexamethasone Suppression Test and Serum Prolactin in Dementia Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Jan Balldin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, St Jörgen's Hospital, S-422 03 Hisings-Backa, University of Göteborg, Sweden
C-G. Gottfries
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, St Jörgen's Hospital, University of Göteborg
I. Karlsson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, St Jörgen's Hospital, University of Göteborg
G. Lindstedt
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Chemistry, Sahlgren's Hospital, S-413 45 Göteborg, University of Göteborg, Sweden
G. Långström
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics, Sven Hultins Gata 6, S-412 96 Göteborg; Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, St Jörgen's Hospital, University of Göteborg
J. Wålinder
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, St Jörgen's Hospital, University of Göteborg

Summary

The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was performed on 21 patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT), 11 patients with multiinfarct dementia (Ml) and 14 healthy controls. Twelve of the DAT patients and eight of the Ml patients showed abnormal lack of suppression, compared with just one member of the control group. Abnormal DST was related to dementia as such and not to age or depression, or to levels of CSF monoamine metabolites. Basal serum prolactin concentrations were not increased.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 1983 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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