title: Postmortem central catecholamines and antemortem cognitive impairment in elderly schizophrenics and controls.
abstract: Central catecholamine concentrations were determined in autopsy brain samples from 19 elderly schizophrenic patients and controls. Data from the hypothalamus and nucleus accumbens demonstrate altered catecholamine metabolism associated with cognitive impairment in these subjects. Both loci show decrements of norepinephrine concentrations, while the nucleus accumbens samples also show increased dopamine, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol concentrations associated with dementia in these subjects. The data argue for examination of catecholamine metabolism with respect to dementia in a broad range of elderly subjects.
mesh_terms: D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D000368:Aged; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000032:analysis*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003704:Dementia / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000032:analysis; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000032:analysis; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol / Q000032:analysis; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000032:analysis; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000032:analysis; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D006719:Homovanillic Acid