title: High intercorrelations among urinary outputs of norepinephrine and its major metabolites. A replication in depressed patients and controls.
abstract: We examined the intercorrelations among urinary outputs of norepinephrine (NE) and its three major metabolites in unipolar depressed patients (n = 28) and normal controls (n = 24). Among the depressed patients, levels of NE correlated with normetanephrine (NM), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA), and VMA correlated with NM and MHPG. In the total group of depressed and control subjects (n = 52), the sum of NE and its major metabolites correlated with urinary outputs of NE, NM, MHPG, and VMA. These highly significant correlations among urinary outputs of NE and its major metabolites replicate a previous report of strong correlations among these same four urinary substances in a smaller group of depressed patients.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Studies, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guthrie
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Karoum
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pickar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Linnoila
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006018:Glycols / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol / Q000652:urine*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000652:urine*; D009647:Normetanephrine / Q000652:urine*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D006018:Glycols; D009647:Normetanephrine; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid; D009638:Norepinephrine