No major influence of regular tobacco smoking on cerebrospinal fluid monoamine metabolite concentrations in patients with psychotic disorder and healthy individuals

• Published in: Psychiatry research 2018-05, Vol.263, p.30-34
• Main Authors: Hjärpe, Josefin, Söderman, Erik, Andreou, Dimitrios, Sedvall, Göran C., Agartz, Ingrid, Jönsson, Erik G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 5-HIAA; Adolescent; Adult; Biogenic Monoamines - cerebrospinal fluid; Biomarkers - cerebrospinal fluid; Cerebrospinal fluid; Female; Homovanillic Acid - cerebrospinal fluid; Humans; HVA; Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid - cerebrospinal fluid; Male; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol - cerebrospinal fluid; MHPG; Monoamine metabolites; Psychotic Disorders - cerebrospinal fluid; Psychotic Disorders - diagnosis; Psychotic Disorders - epidemiology; Schizophrenia - cerebrospinal fluid; Schizophrenia - diagnosis; Schizophrenia - epidemiology; Tobacco; Tobacco Smoking - adverse effects; Tobacco Smoking - cerebrospinal fluid; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.02.036

Metabolism of the monoamines dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline, is altered in the central nervous system of people with schizophrenia, and their major metabolites homovanillic acid (HVA), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), respectively, have been intensively studied as indirect measures of these neurotransmitters in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Regular tobacco smoking has been shown to alter neurotransmitter metabolism in the brain and studies have found CSF monoamine metabolite concentrations to be substantially lower in smokers. However, few studies investigating these monoamines in CSF have controlled for regular tobacco smoking. We investigated if regular tobacco smoking influences CSF HVA, 5-HIAA and MHPG concentrations in patients treated for psychotic disorders (n = 69) and healthy non-psychotic human volunteers (n = 200). After lumbar puncture CSF samples were analyzed with mass fragmentography. CSF HVA, 5-HIAA and MHPG concentrations did not significantly differ between smokers and non-smokers neither in patients, nor in healthy subjects, whereas back-length predicted HVA and 5-HIAA and antipsychotic medication MHPG concentrations. The results indicate that regular tobacco smoking has no significant effect on monoamine metabolite concentrations in CSF. This suggests that lack of controlling for regular tobacco smoking should not substantially violate the results in studies of the major monoamine metabolites in CSF. •Tobacco smoking has no major influence on HVA, 5-HIAA or MHPG in human lumbar CSF.•Back-length predicted lumbar CSF concentrations of HVA and 5-HIAA.•Antipsychotic medication predicted lumbar CSF concentrations of MHPG.