James Ellingboe

Effects of naltrexone on mood and neuroendocrine function in normal adult males

Abstract (1) A significant increase in integrated plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) levels occurred following oral administration of 50 mg of naltrexone to seven healthy adult males who had no past history of opiate use or abuse. (2) All subjects were able to identify naltrexone from placebo in a double-blind study. (3) All subjects reported that naltrexone produced dysphoric effects including fatigue, sleepiness, light-headedness, nausea, sweating and occasional feelings of unreality. (4) Three subjects reported recurrent spontaneous penile erections following naltrexone administration. (5) No dysphoric side effects or penile erections occurred following placebo administration. (6) These findings indicate that naltrexone affects both mood states and sexual function in adult males who have no history of opiate abuse and suggests that these effects may be mediated by hypothalamic and pituitary mechanisms which also subserve LH secretory activity.

Plasma Testosterone Levels before, during and after Chronic Marihuana Smoking

Abstract To test the relation between chronic marihuana use and testosterone levels, we studied 27 men, 21 to 26 years of age. Plasma testosterone was measured daily before, during, and after a 21-...

Alcohol, affect, and the disinhibition of verbal behavior

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of acute alcohol administration on affective states and verbal behavior during the ascending and descending limbs of the blood alcohol curve. Sixteen male social drinkers were given alcohol (1.0 g/kg) or placebo in a double-blind crossover research design. Subjects tested while blood alcohol levels (BAL) were ascending close to peak concentration (0.11 g%) described themselves as more elated, friendly, and vigorous than when tested under placebo conditions. As BAL declined, subjects described themselves as more angry, depressed, and fatigued. Cognitive confusion, hostile verbal interaction, and aggressive thematic content were also greater during alcohol intoxication, but these measures were unrelated to direction of change in the BAL curve. It was concluded that (1) the effects of alcohol on affect are biphasic and are closely related to direction of change in the BAL curve, (2) the disinhibition of certain types of verbal behavior is related neither to affective state or to direction of the BAL curve, and (3) the perception of cognitive disorientation may mediate the effects of alcohol on those behaviors normally suppressed by various controlling influences.

Acute alcohol effects on plasma estradiol levels in women

Acute administration of alcohol (0.695 g/kg) to healthy adult women resulted in peak blood alcohol levels between 70 and 75 mg/dl within 50–60 min after initiation of drinking. Alcohol induced a significant increase (x=18 pg/ml) in plasma estradiol levels (P<0.01). In contrast, after placebo ingestion, plasma estradiol levels did not change significantly. After alcohol intake, plasma estradiol levels reached peak values at 25 min following initiation of drinking when blood alcohol levels averaged 34 mg/ml. It is postulated that the alcohol-induced increase in plasma estradiol is due to changes in hepatic redox states associated with the catabolism of ethanol.

Acute effects of heroin and naltrexone on testosterone and gonadotropin secretion: A pilot study

Abstract (1) Two detoxified male heroin addicts were given 10 mg of intravenous heroin and experienced a rapid fall in plasma LH. FSH levels were unchanged. (2) Approximately 4 hr after LH suppression (by heroin), plasma testosterone levels also dropped markedly. (3) Naltrexone pretreatment prevented opiate-induced suppression of both LH and testosterone. (4) Instead, an increased number of secretory bursts of LH occurred after naltrexone administration, and mean plasma LH levels were higher than those obtained during a saline control period. (5) Testosterone and FSH secretion were not appreciably affected by naltrexone treatment.

Prolactin and cortisol levels following acute alcohol challenges in women with and without a family history of alcoholism.

In a pilot study 5 matched pairs of female social drinkers received both 0.56 g/kg alcohol and placebo in a double-blind crossover design. Family history positive (FHP) women had biological fathers who met criteria for alcohol dependence, and FHN women had no relatives who met these criteria. FHP and FHN women had BALs about 70 mg/dl 60 min after alcohol. FHP subjects had significantly lower prolactin levels 40, 60 and 80 min following alcohol, but higher cortisol levels 130 and 150 min following alcohol. No significant differences in hormone levels occurred after placebo.

Use of naltrexone as a provocative test for hypothalamic-pituitary hormone function

Naltrexone (50 mg) administration to normal adult women during the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle (day 1 to day 4 following onset of menstruation) induced a significant elevation in plasma LH, prolactin, ACTH and cortisol levels. Orally administered naltrexone appears to be a safe and effective compound for assessing function of the hypothalamic-anterior pituitary axis in women.

Effects of heroin and naltrexone on plasma prolactin levels in man

Plasma levels of prolactin were increased following intravenous self-administration of heroin by young men with a history of heroin addiction. Following 10 days of controlled heroin usage, tolerance could be demonstrated to the acute prolactin-releasing effect of heroin. There was no evidence that a single dose of naltrexone affected basal prolactin levels.

Effect of acute ethanol ingestion on integrated plasma prolactin levels in normal men

Healthy male subjects ingested 1.0 g ethanol/kg (Alcohol Day) and caloric equivalents of sucrose (Control Day). Plasma prolactin was determined on samples collected at 20-min intervals by serial constant blood exfusion, from 2 hr before to 4 hr after the drink. In 14 of the 15 men studied, plasma prolactin levels during the 2-hr period after alcohol administration were elevated an average of 31% above values for the preceding 2-hr period. Data pooled for all subjects revealed a small but statistically significant increase in prolactin coinciding with ascending and peak concentrations of blood alcohol. A significant increment in prolactin was associated with peak blood alcohol levels when values were compared between control and alcohol treatment days. Although of statistical significance, these transient and variable increases were within the normal range of basal prolactin levels for most subjects and are unlikely to be physiologically meaningful.

Effects of alcohol on aggressive behavior in squirrel monkeys influence of testosterone and social context

Social status and reproductive cycle determine the effects of acute, low doses of alcohol on the social behavior of squirrel monkeys. Alcohol produces biphasic effects on the behavior of dominant but not subordinate monkeys, and only during the mating season. The change in alcohol sensitivity measured in dominant monkeys coincides with changes in plasma testosterone levels. In order to directly study the interaction between alcohol, testosterone and aggressive behavior, testosterone propionate (TP, 25 mg/kg/day, SC) was administered to either dominant or subordinate male monkeys belonging to four separate groups, resulting in significantly elevated plasma levels of testosterone (i.e., 905±43 ng/ml in subordinates; 171±19 ng/ml in dominants). Two to three weeks after the beginning of testosterone treatment, the monkeys were administered doses of alcohol (0.1–1.0 g/kg). The behavior of subordinate monkeys was unaffected by TP treatment (even after the dominant monkey from each colony was removed and housed separately for 6 weeks). Testosterone treatment altered the sensitivity of subordinate monkeys to alcohol. Low doses of alcohol increased the frequency of threats, grasps, and displacements exhibited by subordinate monkeys with exogenously elevated testosterone. Daily administration of TP to dominant monkeys during the non-mating season did not affect the behavior of the treated animals in the group, although the body weight of TP-treated monkeys was similar to that measured during the mating season. Low doses of alcohol increased the frequency of threats, grasps, and displacements in dominant monkeys maintained on TP.We also tested the role of social context in maintaining high levels of plasma testosterone, and alcohol sensitivity in dominant monkeys. While living in their social groups, dominants exhibited a similar pattern of alcohol enhancement of aggressive behavior in dyadic confrontations compared to effects measured during the mating season in an undisturbed group. After 2 weeks of individual housing, both plasma testosterone values and sensitivity to alcohols effects were significantly reduced.These findings strengthen previous correlative studies indicating a relationship between plasma testosterone levels and the effects of alcohol on the aggressive behavior of squirrel monkeys. High levels of testosterone may activate alcohol-sensitive brain substrates of aggressive behavior.