Am J Psychiatry 1978; 135:567-569
Copyright © 1978 by American Psychiatric Association
MAO activity, csf amine metabolites, and drug-free improvement in schizophrenia
DP Van Kammen, SR Marder, DL Murphy and WE Bunney Jr
Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and amine metabolites in
cerebrospinal fluid were compared in 22 schizophrenic patients, 8 of whom
improved during a 30-day drug-free period. CSF 5- hydroxyindoleacetic acid
and homovanillic acid did not distinguish between drug-free improvers and
nonimprovers. However, drug-free improvers had lower platelet MAO
activities than did normal controls. The authors suggest that looking at
clinical variables in patients with low MAO activity might provide a means
of biologically subtyping schizophrenic patients.
