Relationship between estimated premorbid adjustment and CSF homovanillic acid and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels.

The authors completed ratings of premorbid sexual and social adjustment and assays of the CSF homovanillic acid (HVA), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), and probenecid concentrations in 108 psychiatric patients. Among the 30 patients diagnosed as schizophrenic, poor premorbid sexual adjustment was associated with higher accumulations of HVA in the CSF. No relationship between the estimated premorbid social adjustment and CSF HVA levels was observed. These findings suggest that 1) sexual and social premorbid adjustment are partially independent variables, and 2) one of the biological correlates of sexual adjustment in schizophrenic patients may be the functional maturity of central dopamine systems.