Thirty chronic ambulatory schizophrenic patients whose main psychopathology was characterized by the persistence of negative symptoms, such as emotional withdrawal, depressed mood, motor retardation and blunted affect were included in this project in order to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of tranylcypromine plus chlorpromazine therapy. The results show that tranylcypromine when added to the usual dose of chlorpromazine, in many instances, induces a definite improvement in these patients' clinical condition, that such treatment is safe and it may be also useful in preventing the occurrence of extra-pyramidal symptoms.

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Tranylcypromine (TCP), a monoamine-oxidase inhibitor with amphetaminelike property, has at first a depressant effect and 5 h later a stimulating effect on spontaneous motor activity and learned conditioned behaviour. This latter effect can be demonstrated by means of a modified conditioned avoidance response schedule and a specific time-schedule interval. While the depressant effect of tranylcypromine may be due to the initial increase of brain serotonin caused by this drug, its delayed stimulating effect is, very likely, related to norepinephrine brain increase occurring a few hours after TCP administration.

Behavioral, electroencephalographic, and biochemical alterations have been studied in rats with porta-caval shunt, up to 45--50 days after the operation. No behavioral or electroencephalographic changes have been observed, while modifications of various amino acids both in plasma and brain have been found. Among all the amino acids considered of particular significance are the plasma and brain increases of tyrosine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan, since they are the precursors of biogenic amines. In fact, the increase of 5-HIAA found in regions of CNS which are richest in serotoninergic synapsis could indicate an increased turnover of 5-HT. On the other hand no significant alterations of turnover of catecholamines have been found.

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