Am J Psychiatry 1993; 150:1099-1101
Copyright © 1993 by American Psychiatric Association
CSF cholecystokinin octapeptide in patients with bulimia nervosa and in normal comparison subjects
RB Lydiard, TD Brewerton, MD Fossey, MT Laraia, G Stuart, MC Beinfeld and JC Ballenger
Institute of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425.
Cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) appears to modulate appetitive
behavior, and in rodents, anxiety-related behavior. The authors studied
CCK-8 in patients with bulimia nervosa. CSF concentrations of CCK-8 were
measured in 11 drug-free female patients with DSM-III-R-defined bulimia
nervosa and in 16 normal subjects. The bulimic patients had significantly
lower levels of CCK-8 than the comparison subjects. CCK-8 concentrations
were inversely correlated with scores on the anger- hostility, anxiety, and
interpersonal sensitivity subscales of the SCL- 90-R. They were not
significantly correlated with age, percentage of standardized average body
weight, or mean weekly frequency of binge eating or vomiting. The results
indicate that central CCK-8 abnormalities may play a role in the
pathophysiology of bulimia nervosa.
