L-Dopa, Dopamine, and Hypomania
DENNIS L. MURPHY M.D.1,
FREDERICK K. GOODWIN M.D.1,
H. KEITH H. BRODIE M.D.2, , and
WILLIAM E. BUNNEY JR. M.D.3
1 Clinical Research Unit Chief, Section on Psychiatry, Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Md.
2 Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University Medical School, Stanford, Calif.
3 Director, Division of Narcotics and Drug Abuse, NIMH
Greater urinary excretion of dopamine during L-dopa administration was observed in bipolar than in unipolar depressed patients. The authors suggest that increased levels of brain dopamine may play a role in the development of hypomania and mania, since there is a tendency for bipolar patients to regularly develop hypomanic episodes during L-dopa treatment and since evidence from animal studies indicates that increased brain dopamine is highly correlated with increased psychomotor activity.
