Pharmacomanometric studies of colonic motility as a guide to the chemotherapy of schizophrenia.
Distal colon motility studies performed in 41 psychotic subjects demonstrated that 32 of them had hyperactivity of the noradrenergic system at this peripheral level, while the remaining nine cases showed hyperactivity of the dopaminergic system. The noradrenergic-hyperactive patients fulfilled the Research Diagnostic Criteria of schizophrenia, whereas the dopaminergic-hyperactive patients were diagnosed as having schizoaffective disorders. Noradrenergic-hyperactive subjects were successfully treated with clonidine, a drug which inhibits release of noradrenaline, while dopaminergic-hyperactive subjects were successfully treated with clonazepam, a drug which inhibits release of dopamine. The addition of sulpiride (a postsynaptic dopaminergic blocking agent) and of phentolamine (a postsynaptic noradrenergic blocking agent) to clonidine and clonazepam, respectively, induced further significant improvements in both types of psychotic patients.
D000328:Adult; D002998:Clonazepam / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003000:Clonidine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003106:Colon / Q000502:physiology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000502:physiology; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
D011954:Receptors, Dopamine; D002998:Clonazepam; D003000:Clonidine; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine