Central cholecystokinin activity in irritable bowel syndrome, panic disorder, and healthy controls

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at Cholecystokinin (CCK).

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and panic disorder (PD) coexist with a high frequency.

The researchers have proposed that PD and IBS may share a common dysfunction of the central cholecystokinin (CCK) system.

To test this hypothesis, the researchers assessed whether the enhanced panicogenic response to CCK-tetrapeptide (CCK-4) observed in PD is also present in IBS.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 8 patients were involved.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

Eight psychiatrically healthy IBS patients, 8 PD patients with no history of IBS, and 12 normal controls received a bolus injection of CCK-4 and placebo on two separate days in a double-blind, randomized fashion.

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

The patients were allocated by chance, so the Cholecystokinin (CCK) group and the comparison group should start out alike.

As a double-blind Cholecystokinin (CCK) study, the assignments were hidden from both participants and investigators until the end.

Some patients received a placebo instead of Cholecystokinin (CCK), giving a reference point.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Blood Pressure, Gastrointestinal Agents, Heart Rate, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Panic Disorder, Receptor, Cholecystokinin B and Tetragastrin.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Cholecystokinin (CCK) in 8 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 6 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2005 (Psychosomatic medicine), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Cholecystokinin (CCK) compound page, all human trials.