CSF concentrations of serotonin and dopamine metabolites in 16 patients
with anorexia nervosa were measured before and after probenecid
administration, and the patients were studied before and at intervals after
weight recovery. After probenecid administration, the weight- recovered
nonbulimic anorexic patients had a higher concentration of the serotonin
metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, than the weight- recovered bulimic
patients but no significant differences in CSF homovanillic acid. This
finding is consistent with evidence that suggests a role for brain
serotonin metabolism in carbohydrate and mood regulation.
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