Am J Psychiatry 1978; 135:907-912
Copyright © 1978 by American Psychiatric Association
Cerebrospinal fluid norepinephrine in affective illness
RM Post, CR Lake, DC Jimerson, WE Bunney, JH Wood, MG Ziegler and FK Goodwin
The authors measured cerebrospinal fluid norepinephrine concentrations in
manic, depressive, and neurological control patients with and without
probenecid administration. Baseline and probenecid norepinephrine values
were significantly higher in manic than in depressed patients, who did not
differ significantly from the neurological patients. Depressed patients
with high levels of anxiety had higher levels of norepinephrine than those
with low anxiety. These data suggest that alterations in mood or motor
activity may be associated with changes in central norepinephrine
metabolism in man.
