The selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor escitalopram modulates the panic response to cholecystokinin tetrapeptide in healthy men depending on 5-HTTLPR genotype

What Was Tested

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

Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, such as escitalopram, are currently the treatment of choice for patients with panic disorder.

The panic response to intravenous cholecystokinin tetrapeptide, a potentially useful paradigm for volunteer translational studies, has so far not been investigated in healthy man after respective pre-treatment.

Who Took Part

The study group was 30 men.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were teenagers, young adults and adults, men only.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and crossover study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Cholecystokinin (CCK) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

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

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

In the crossover set-up each of the men took both Cholecystokinin (CCK) and the comparison in turn, acting as their own control.

A time span of six weeks appears in the methods.

What Was Measured

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Analysis of Variance, Anxiety, Citalopram, Panic, Prolactin, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales and Psychometrics.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Cholecystokinin (CCK) in 30 men over six weeks.

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 publication is from 2009 (Journal of psychiatric research), a journal based in England.

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