Plasma Immunoreactive β-Endorphin Levels in Depression

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Abstract
• Immunoreactive (ir) plasma β-endorphin level was assayed in ten symptomatic patients with a unipolar major depressive disorder and in 16 psychiatrically normal controls matched for age and sex. Plasma ir-β-endorphin level in depressed patients was similar to that in controls. All depressed patients had a transient, approximately threefold increase in ir-β-endorphin after each use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The increase of plasma ir-β-endorphin level after ECT parallels the transient elevation of adrenocorticotropic hormone-level reported by others and probably reflects a hypothalamic response to ECT.