Letter to the EditorsDiurnal variation in plasma homovanillic acid in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls
Section snippets
Study 1
Thirteen subjects with schizophrenia and thirteen healthy controls consented to participate. The schizophrenia group was off antipsychotic medication for at least 35 days prior to study entry; eleven of the group had a history of neuroleptic response by chart review. See Table 1 for demographic and clinical information.
Subjects were on a low monoamine diet after 6 PM one day before and during pHVA sampling to reduce dietary contributions to HVA levels. Blood for pHVA was drawn at 9 AM after
Study 2
21 male inpatients with schizophrenia who were off all neuroleptics for at least 35 days consented to participate. Subject characteristics are shown in Table 1.
Subjects took debrisoquin (10 mg po BID) for five days before and throughout study days to reduce the peripheral contribution to pHVA (Davidson et al., 1987), and were on a low monoamine diet for two days prior to and during study days.
Bloods were drawn on three consecutive days at 9 AM after an overnight fast and restricted physical
Comment
In neither of our studies did schizophrenia subjects off antipsychotics show the morning fall in pHVA that we and others have seen in healthy controls. Study 2 suggests that the diurnal pattern of pHVA differentiates neuroleptic Responders from Nonresponders. These results should be interpreted with caution: diet and activity of the controls were not observed on an inpatient ward in Study 1, and there was no control group on debrisoquin in Study 2.
Diurnal changes in pHVA are thought to reflect
Acknowledgement
This material is based on work supported by the Mental Health Service, New York Harbor Healthcare System (New York Campus), Mental Health Service, Atlanta VA Medical Center, by a VA Merit Review Grant (E.D.), the Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, Dept of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine.
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