title: The effect of age, sex, weight and height on the plasma concentrations in healthy subjects of the acidic metabolites of some biogenic monoamines involved in psychiatric and neurological disorders.
abstract: 1. The plasma concentrations of unconjugated phenylacetic acid and m-hydroxyphenylacetic acid are lower in male than in female subjects. 2. The plasma concentrations of unconjugated phenylacetic acid and mandelic acid decrease with increasing weight and height for all subjects combined. The same relationships apply for both males and females but are significant only for males. 3. Homovanillic and vanillylmandelic acid concentrations in plasma increase with age. 4. The importance of using age, sex, weight and height matched groups in studies involving the plasma concentrations of some of the trace amine metabolites in psychiatric disorders has been demonstrated. This is particularly the case for phenylacetic acid, the major metabolite of phenylethylamine which is now thought to be a neuromodulator of catecholaminergic neurotransmission.
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Research Unit, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Durden
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: O'Reilly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood*; D015306:Biogenic Monoamines / Q000097:blood*; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008333:Mandelic Acids / Q000097:blood; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D010648:Phenylacetates / Q000097:blood; D012737:Sex Factors; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015306:Biogenic Monoamines; D008333:Mandelic Acids; D010648:Phenylacetates; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid; C008069:3-hydroxybenzeneacetic acid; C037938:mandelic acid; D006719:Homovanillic Acid