PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY OF DEPRESSION - PROLACTIN

Prolactin provides us with a window to the brain in our quest for unde rstanding the psychobiology of depression, since the regulation of its release involves some of the monamine neurotransmitter systems that h ave been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. Investigatio ns examining basal prolactin plasma concentrations in depressed patien ts, including assessments of the rhythm of prolactin release, have not provided clear, consistent findings. Further exploration of the preci se mechanisms involved in serotonin-stimulated prolactin release shoul d shed light on the pathophysiology of abnormal prolactin responsivity in depression, and by extension, the psychobiologic basis of depressi on.