Neuroleptic-Induced Decrease in Plasma Homovanillic Acid and Antipsychotic Activity in Schizophrenic Patients

Plasma-free homovanillic acid, a major metabolite of dopamine, was measured in chronically ill schizophrenic patients both before and during treatment with the antipsychotic phenothiazine, fluphenazine. Neuroleptic treatment was associated with a significant time-dependent decrease in plasma homovan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1984-08, Vol.225 (4665), p.954-957
Main Authors: Pickar, David, Labarca, Rodrigo, Linnoila, Markku, Roy, Alec, Hommer, Daniel, Everett, Donald, Paul, Steven M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Antipsychotic agents
Blood
Blood plasma
Blood specimen collection
Dopamine
Dopamine - metabolism
Female
Fluphenazine - pharmacology
Fluphenazine - therapeutic use
Homovanillic acid
Homovanillic Acid - blood
Humans
Male
Medical treatment
Neurons
Phenylacetates - blood
Physiological aspects
Pretreatment
Psychopharmacology
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia - blood
Schizophrenia - drug therapy
Standard error
Symptoms
Time Factors
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Summary:Plasma-free homovanillic acid, a major metabolite of dopamine, was measured in chronically ill schizophrenic patients both before and during treatment with the antipsychotic phenothiazine, fluphenazine. Neuroleptic treatment was associated with a significant time-dependent decrease in plasma homovanillic acid from pretreatment values, which were significantly elevated when compared with those of age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. Further, both the absolute concentrations as well as the neuroleptic-induced reductions in plasma homovanillic acid determined over 5 weeks of neuroleptic treatment were statistically significantly correlated with ratings of psychosis and improvement in psychosis, respectively. These findings suggest that the delayed effects of neuroleptic agents on presynaptic dopamine activity may more closely parallel their therapeutic actions than do their immediate effects in blocking postsynaptic dopamine receptors and that a decrease in dopamine ``turnover'' may be responsible for their antipsychotic effects.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.6474162