Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:160-166
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
Behavioral and biological effects of acute beta-endorphin injection in schizophrenic and depressed patients
D Pickar, GC Davis, SC Schulz, I Extein, R Wagner, D Naber, PW Gold, DP van Kammen, FK Goodwin, RJ Wyatt, CH Li and WE Bunney Jr
In this double-blind study, beta-endorphin, 4-15 mg, was administered
intravenously to 6 schizophrenic and 4 depressed patients. There were
neither significant differences in behavioral ratings between beta-
endorphin and placebo for the overall group nor for either the
schizophrenic or depressed subgroup. Clinical worsening and improvement
were observed in individual schizophrenic patients. There was no evidence
of late-appearing therapeutic effects in 4 schizophrenic patients rated for
5 consecutive days after placebo and drug infusions. In 1 patient 10 mg of
beta-endorphin produced neuroendocrine effects comparable to those produced
by 5 mg of intravenously administered methadone; in 2 other patients it
produced large increases in circulating opioid activity as determined by
radioreceptor assay. These biological data support the notion that
parenterally administered beta- endorphin exerts significant opiate-like
activity in vivo.
