Plasma gastrin level, elevated

A counterpart of evidence that CCK agonists are anxiogenic is to answer the question of whether the CCK system is functionally implicated in non-provoked symptoms of panic or anxiety. It is conceivable that endogenous variations of central and/or peripheral CCK activity may be a neurochemical concomitant of anxiety. It is interesting to mention that serum concentrations of gastrin, a CCK-B agonist, fluctuate in correlation with self-reported tension, conflict, and anxiety in psychiatrically healthy men (M. Feldman et al. 1992). Plasma CCK levels were markedly elevated in sportsmen before a competitive marathon run, as compared with CCK levels under control conditions (Phillip et al. 1992). Plasma concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, and noradrenaline were also elevated and increased extensively after the running performance. However, CCK levels re-... 

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