title: Cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid correlates directly with negative affective intensity, but not affective lability, in human subjects.
abstract: Centrally acting monoamines have long been thought to be associated with component traits of behavior and emotion and are potential biological mediators of psychopathology. In this study we tested the hypothesis that centrally acting monoamines would be associated with measures of affective instability (i.e. affective intensity and affective lability) in healthy and personality disordered human subjects. In total, 57 adult subjects including 19 psychiatrically healthy volunteers and 38 personality disordered individuals were assessed for affective instability with the affective intensity measure (AIM) and the Affective Lability Scale (ALS). Samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were collected for assay of 5-hydroxyindoleacitic acid (5-HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylglycol (MHPG). CSF 5-HIAA concentration correlated directly with overall AIM score and, specifically, with the AIM Negative Intensity score, in all subjects and in personality disordered subjects. This result was not affected but the addition of aggression scores or life history of mood disorder to the model. Neither CSF HVA nor MHPG were found to uniquely correlate with either AIM or ALS measure. Higher Affective Intensity scores, Negative Intensity scores, specifically, are directly correlated with higher basal levels of CSF 5-HIAA. This relationship was independent of aggression, life history of mood disorder and general personality traits.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. ecoccaro@yoda.bsd.uchicago.edu
authors.forename: Emil F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Coccaro
authors.forename: Anjiwan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boparai
authors.forename: Royce
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D015306:Biogenic Monoamines / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D006801:Humans; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013129:Spinal Puncture; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015306:Biogenic Monoamines; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D006719:Homovanillic Acid