Effect of acute metabolic stress on pituitary-adrenal axis activation in patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE

Although several lines of evidence suggest that stress plays a role in the course of schizophrenia, studies that have assessed stress-relevant neurobiological measures have not produced consistent results. The authors examined the effects of acute metabolic stress induced by 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) on pituitary-adrenal axis activation.

METHOD

Thirteen patients with schizophrenia and 11 healthy comparison subjects were administered pharmacological doses of 2-DG (40 mg/kg). The subjects' arterial plasma was then assayed for levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol.

RESULTS

2-DG induced significant increases in the measured hormones in both groups, and ACTH elevations were significantly greater in patients with schizophrenia than in comparison subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with schizophrenia have an exaggerated ACTH response to acute metabolic stress exposure.