A test of the transmethylation hypothesis in acute schizophrenic patients.

Keeping biochemical determinations and clinical judgements independent, the authors investigated three aspects of the transmethylation hypothesis. They found that 26 acutely schizophrenic patients were no more likely to have bufotenine or N,N-dimethyltryptamine present in urine or elevated serum indolethylamine N-methyltransferase activity than 10 normal control subjects. The authors conclude that these are naturally occurring substances which are equally likely to be present in normal and schizophrenic subjects.