Noradrenergic receptor sensitivity in obsessive compulsive disorder .2. Cortisol response to acute clonidine administration

Sensitivity of pre-synaptic alpha-2- and post-synaptic alpha-1- and beta-adrenoceptors was investigated in 15 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and in 15 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, by measuring cortisol responses to saline administration and to inhibition by clonidine (cion), a noradrenergic receptor agonist. Basal values of cortisol and responses to administration of saline and of cion were the same in patients and controls. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.