Devanand D P, Bowers M B, Hoffman F J, Nelson J C
Psychiatry Res. 1985 May;15(1):1-4. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(85)90033-2.
Plasma free homovanillic acid (HVA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) were measured before drug treatment in 29 patients diagnosed as having major depression with melancholia and in 18 control subjects. Plasma HVA was significantly elevated in the total group of female melancholic patients when compared with female controls or male melancholics. Most female patients with psychotic melancholia had elevated HVA levels. These differences were not found in male patients. No significant differences were found for plasma MHPG.
在29例被诊断为伴有 melancholia 的重度抑郁症患者和18名对照受试者中，于药物治疗前检测了血浆游离高香草酸（HVA）和3-甲氧基-4-羟基苯乙二醇（MHPG）。与女性对照或男性 melancholic 患者相比，女性 melancholic 患者总组中的血浆HVA显著升高。大多数患有精神病性 melancholia 的女性患者HVA水平升高。在男性患者中未发现这些差异。血浆MHPG未发现显著差异。
