title: N-methylnicotinamide excretion and affective disorders.
abstract: N-Methylnicotinamide urinary output is examined in 38 healthy volunteers, 52 patients with secondary affective disorders (SAD), 55 patients with primary affective disorders (PAD) and 46 healthy first-degree relatives of PAD patients. The results indicate (1) that in PAD patients and their first-degree relatives the frequency of low N1-MN excretion was significantly higher (P less than 0-001) than in healthy controls and in patients with secondary affective disorders, and (2) that PAD patients have a consistently low N1-MN output, at all times constant and independent of the clinical phases of the disease. These findings provide evidence that the low N1-MN levels may represent an index of a biological background linked to a high morbidity risk for primary affective disorders. The theoretical implications deriving from these data are briefly discussed.
mesh_terms: D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000652:urine; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000652:urine; D003863:Depression / Q000235:genetics / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009536:Niacinamide / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000652:urine; D012306:Risk; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D009536:Niacinamide