Corticotropin-releasing factor in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with secondary psychotic symptoms, nonpsychotic PTSD, and healthy control subjects

Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Dec 15;54(12):1382-8. doi: 10.1016/s0006-3223(03)00571-7.

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have reported a high comorbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychotic symptoms, and it has been hypothesized that PTSD with comorbid psychosis is a severe form of PTSD. Few studies have examined the neurobiology of PTSD with comorbid psychosis. If PTSD with secondary psychotic symptoms (PTSD-SP) is a severe form of PTSD, then it might be expected to show more extreme perturbations in the neuroendocrine patterns that characterize PTSD.

Methods: Patients with PTSD with secondary psychotic symptoms (PTSD-SP), PTSD without psychosis, and healthy comparison subjects were compared for differences in cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and somatotropin-release-inhibiting hormone (SRIF).

Results: The PTSD-SP subjects had significantly higher mean levels of CRF than either the PTSD or control subjects (p <.01). The three groups showed similar SRIF levels.

Conclusions: These data implicate abnormalities in the secretion of CRF with the production of secondary psychotic symptoms in PTSD. This finding supports the validity of PTSD-SP as a PTSD subtype and as a severe form of PTSD.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Case-Control Studies
  • Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Psychotic Disorders / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Psychotic Disorders / complications
  • Somatostatin / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / metabolism
  • Veterans

Substances

  • Somatostatin
  • Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone