Kirch D G, Jaskiw G, Linnoila M, Weinberger D R, Wyatt R J
Neuropsychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Washington DC. 20032.
Psychiatry Res. 1988 Sep;25(3):233-42. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(88)90094-7.
Plasma catecholamine metabolites were measured in paired blood samples from 22 subjects with chronic schizophrenia. One sample was drawn while patients were on a stable dose of neuroleptic medication; the second was drawn 6 weeks after discontinuation of medication. In comparison with baseline values during neuroleptic treatment, there was a significant increase in the plasma concentration of the norepinephrine metabolite, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), and a trend toward an increase in the plasma concentration of the dopamine metabolite, homovanillic acid (HVA), in the medication-free subjects. There were no significant correlations between plasma MHPG or HVA concentrations and the corresponding ratings of psychopathology for these patients.
