title: Relationships in healthy volunteers between concentrations of monoamine metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid and family history of psychiatric morbidity.
abstract: In 60 physically and mentally healthy human subjects, lumbar cerebrospinal fluid was analysed by mass fragmentography for 5-HIAA, HVA and MOPEG. Individuals with a family history of psychiatric morbidity had significantly greater variation in monoamine metabolite concentrations than subjects without such a family history. In subjects with a family history of schizophrenic psychosis 5-HIAA and HVA concentrations were significantly higher than in subjects with depressive disorders within the family. For subjects with deviant 5-HIAA levels the probability of having a psychiatric family history was 2.7 times higher than in subjects with normal values. For HVA and MOPEG similar relationships, but of a lower significance level, were found. The results suggest that the cerebral monoaminergic transmitter amines play critical roles in the pathophysiology of psychotic and depressive disorders with a family disposition. They also indicate a value of monoamine metabolite determination in CSF for the prediction of family vulnerability for psychiatric morbidity in healthy subjects.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006018:Glycols / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D006801:Humans; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000235:genetics*; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D010648:Phenylacetates / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins; D006018:Glycols; D010648:Phenylacetates; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D006719:Homovanillic Acid