Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:1045-1050
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
The effect of pimozide on CSF norepinephrine in schizophrenia
DE Sternberg, DP van Kammen, CR Lake, JC Ballenger, SR Marder and WE Bunney Jr
The authors measured CSF norepinephrine concentrations in drug-free
schizophrenic patients with and without probenecid administration and in
drug-free normal control subjects. Schizophrenic patients had significantly
higher baseline norepinephrine values. The dopamine metabolite homovanillic
acid correlated significantly with norepinephrine. During chronic treatment
with the neuroleptic pimozide, patients' norepinephrine levels were
significantly decreased. The pimozide-induced decrease in norepinephrine,
as well as the percent decrease, correlated significantly with the
patients' decrease in global psychosis. These data are consistent with
recent reports of elevated concentrations of norepinephrine in specific
brain areas of schizophrenic patients, and they support a role for
norepinephrine metabolism in the pharmacological effects of antipsychotic
drugs.
