Catecholamines and metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid of teetotallers and sober alcoholics.

Dopamine (DA), homovanillic acid (HVA), salsolinol (SAL), methylated salsolinol (M-SAL), norepinephrine (NE) and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylglycol (HMPG) were measured in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 8 alcoholics who had abstained from ethanol for 3 months and from 8 teetotallers. No significant differences in the concentrations of any of these catecholamines or their metabolites were found between the two groups. In the alcoholics there was a positive correlation between age and DA (P less than 0.005), NE (P less than 0.025) and SAL (P less than 0.005) and also between DA and SAL (P less than 0.01).