title: "Serotonin depression"--a biochemical subgroup within the affective disorders?
abstract: The distribution of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid of 68 depressed patients was bimodal. Twenty-nine percent of the patients were in the lower mode, with a concentration of 5-HIAA below 15 nanograms per milliliter. Although there were no differences in overall severity of depression between the two modes, there was a significant correlation between the concnetration of 5-HIAA and severity of depression in the lower, but not in the upper, mode. The finding suggests the existence of a biochemical subgroup of depressive disorder, characterized by a disturbance of serotonin turnover.
mesh_terms: D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D003863:Depression / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008297:Male; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D012701:Serotonin; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid