A Comparison of Plasma Homovanillic Acid Concentrations in Schizophrenic Patients and Normal Controls

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Abstract

Plasma homovanillic acid concentrations, a potential index of central dopamine turnover, were examined in normal control subjects and chronic schizophrenic patients over a 12hour period, including the period of sleep. Plasma homovanillic acid concentrations were lower in schizophrenic patients compared with normal controls at all times; however, within the group of schizophrenics, the more symptomatic patients had higher plasma homovanillic acid concentrations than the less severely ill patients. These data are consistent with a more complex role of dopamine in schizophrenia than was previously conceptualized.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)561-563
Number of pages3
JournalArchives of General Psychiatry
Volume45
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1988
Externally publishedYes

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