Garreau B, Domenech J, Martineau J, Barthelemy C, Lelord G, Muh J P
Psychiatry Res. 1981 Dec;5(3):323-30. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(81)90079-2.
Higher levels of homovanillic acid (HVA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) were observed in urines of 12 premature infants than in older children. An examination of the influence of age, sex, size, and head circumference revealed that the smaller the infants, the higher the HVA and MHPG values. Recently several investigators have reported an increased titer of urinary HVA in autistic children. It has been hypothesized that the increased levels of catecholamine metabolites (notable HVA and MHPG) could reflect accelerated catecholamine turnover. The elevated urinary HVA titers in infants as well as in autistic children may be due to an immaturity of the dopaminergic receptors.
在12名早产儿的尿液中观察到的高香草酸（HVA）和3-甲氧基-4-羟基苯乙二醇（MHPG）水平高于大龄儿童。对年龄、性别、体型和头围影响的检查表明，婴儿越小，HVA和MHPG值越高。最近，几位研究人员报告说自闭症儿童尿液中的HVA滴度增加。据推测，儿茶酚胺代谢物（特别是HVA和MHPG）水平升高可能反映了儿茶酚胺周转加快。婴儿以及自闭症儿童尿液中HVA滴度升高可能是由于多巴胺能受体不成熟所致。
