Human monoamine oxidase. Lack of brain and platelet correlation.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) exists in two forms, MAO A and MAO B. Both are present in human brain, but the human platelet contains only MAO B. We studied whether individual variations in the activity of human platelet MAO B reflect individual variations in cerebral cortical MAO activities. Optimal conditions were determined for the measurement of MAO activities in both the platelet and cerebral cortex, obtained from 14 patients with epilepsy during clinically indicated neurosurgery. There was no significant correlation between the activities of MAO B in the cerebral cortex and platelets of these patients. Platelet MAO B activities also failed to correlate significantly with cerebral cortical MAO A activities. However, there was a significant positive correlation between cerebral cortical MAO A and MAO B activities. Individual variations in platelet MAO B activities do not reflect individual variations in either cerebral cortical MAO B or MAO A activities in patients with epilepsy who undergo neurosurgery.