Long‐term suppression of central serotonergic activity by corticosteroids

Abstract
Chronic administration of cortisol succinate (12.5 mg per kilogram per day) to guinea pigs suppressed jumping behavior induced by 1–5 hydroxytryptophan and abolished diurnal threshold variations of this behavior. Chronic corticosteroid administration did not alter threshold or diurnal variations of apomorphine-induced stereotypy. These observations suggest that the efficacy of corticosteroids in some human myoclonic movement disorders may be related to central serotonergic inhibition.