Studies of somatostatin and cortisol in relation to affective and other neuropsychiatric disorders have continued. Additionally, other studies have been undertaken including the investigation of progesterone in women with a variety of affective syndromes, beta endorphin in humans and rats administered interleukin-2 (IL-2), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate in Alzheimer's and AIDS patients, and pituitary cell culture response to IL-2. A) Somatostatin - In human post-mortem regional brain studies, no difference in concentration of somatostatin was observed in the hippocampus, amygdala, or prefrontal region among schizophrenics, suicides, and controls. Post-mortem CSF studies showed significantly increased ventricular CSF somatostatin in Parkinson's and Huntington's patients compared with controls or Alzheimer's patients. B) Cortisol - Salivary cortisol has been used to study patients and controls undergoing caffeine infusion, patients on carbamazepine, and patients with affective disorder, on a longitudinal basis. C) Other assay measures - Assays for plasma beta-endorphin, salivary progesterone; and CSF DHEAS have been developed to study IL-2 and menses-related affective changes, as well as AIDS and Alzheimer's disease.
