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Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.127.7.872

L-dopa and L-tryptophan, metabolic precursors of norepinephrine and serotonin respectively, and αMPT, a blocker of catecholamine synthesis, were administered to depressed and manic patients in an attempt to decrease their psychopathology and to test the monoamine theory of affective disorders. L-dopa and αMPT clearly altered mood and thought patterns in some patients, while L-tryptophan was less active. Analysis of urinary and cerebrospinal fluid amine metabolites documented the metabolic effects of the compounds during periods of behavioral change.

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