Cerebrospinal fluid monoamine metabolites in boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

• Published in: Psychiatry research 1994-06, Vol.52 (3), p.305-316
• Main Authors: Castellanos, F.Xavier, Elia, Josephine, Kruesi, Markus J.P., Gulotta, Charles S., Mefford, Ivan N., Potte, William Z., Ritchie, Gail F., Rapoport, Judith L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol; 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid; aggression; Aggression - drug effects; Aggression - physiology; Aggression - psychology; Attention - drug effects; Attention - physiology; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - cerebrospinal fluid; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - diagnosis; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - drug therapy; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - psychology; Attention deficit disorders. Hyperactivity; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child clinical studies; child psychiatry; Dextroamphetamine - therapeutic use; Double-Blind Method; homovanillic acid; Homovanillic Acid - cerebrospinal fluid; Humans; Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid - cerebrospinal fluid; Impulsive Behavior - cerebrospinal fluid; Impulsive Behavior - diagnosis; Impulsive Behavior - drug therapy; Impulsive Behavior - psychology; Lumbar puncture; Male; Medical sciences; Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol - cerebrospinal fluid; Methylphenidate - therapeutic use; Motor Activity - drug effects; Motor Activity - physiology; Neurotransmitter Agents - cerebrospinal fluid; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/0165-1781(94)90076-0

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), plasma, and urinary monoamine metabolites were determined for 29 boys, aged 6–12, with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Levels of CSF 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), the metabolites of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, respectively, correlated significantly with behavioral measures of aggression and impulsivity/hyperactivity. However, these correlations were in the unexpected direction; for example, CSF 5-HIAA correlated positively with the Brown-Goodwin Lifetime History of Aggression Scale. HVA in CSF was positively correlated with several measures of hyperactivity. The replicability of these findings, as well as possible socioenvironmental effects, and the predictive value of CSF monoamines in prepubertal hyperactivity are the subjects of ongoing study.