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Oades, R.D.,
Röpcke, B. & Eggers, C. (1994)
Monoamine activity reflected in urine of young patients with obsessive-compulsive
disorder, psychosis with and without reality distortion and healthy subjects:
an explorative analysis. J. neur. Transm., 96, 143-159.
(pdf file)
Method: We analysed 24h urine samples in groups of patients with OCD, paranoid and non-paranoid schizophrenia and in healthy controls for supportive evidence. Results: Young unmedicated OCD subjects
excreted more adrenaline (AD) and homovanillic acid (HVA) and showed
a higher HVA/MHPG metabolite ratio and metabolic rate than healthy controls.
Independent of general metabolic rate OCD patients showed higher HVA
concentrations which suggests that the relative activity of catecholamine
systems in OCD Conclusions: 1. Patients diagnosed with paranoid psychosis showed higher DA utilization than controls and those with few paranoid symptoms showed high 5-HT utilization. 2. These results support studies suggesting that paranoid psychosis is associated more with increased DA activity (discussed in the context of neuroleptic reactivity), that non-paranoid forms are associated more with increased 5-HT activity and that OCD patients are unusually aroused with high levels of Adrenaline, 5-HT and HVA. |