Determination of Monoamine and Monoamine Metabolites in the Human Brain: Post Mortem Studies in a Group of Suicides and in a Control Group

Abstract

Different nuclei and regions of the brain from patients who had committed suicide and from controls were analysed for their content of monoamine and monoamine metabolites. There was a post mortem breakdown of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) which could be correlated to the time elapsed between the occurrence of death and autopsy. Homovanillic acid (HVA) and the monoamines did not decrease post mortem during the time observed (6-148 hours). There was no significant correlation between age and chemical variables in this investigation. There were no significant group differences between suicides and controls concerning dopamine, noradrenaline, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and HVA, 5-HIAA levels were significantly lower in the suicide group in six out of eight parts of the brain investigated. It was, however, also demonstrated that there was a longer time elapse between the occurrence of death and autopsy in the suicide group. The suicides came on average 48 hours later to autopsy than the controls. As there was a post mortem decrease of 5-HIAA, this time variable had to be kept constant when group differences were analysed. When the influence of this time variable was eliminated there were no longer any differences between suicides and controls. According to this investigation, there seem to be no differences in levels of monoamines and their metabolites between suicides and controls.

Role of dopamine in non-depressed patients with a history of suicide attempts

“…Ohmori et al [14] observed an increase in HVA levels in the frontal cortex of individuals who committed suicide compared to subjects who died due to physical illness. In contrast, Beskow et al [5] and Arranz et al [4] did not find any difference in HVA concentration at the level of the cortex of suicided subjects. These results have been confirmed in another study at the level of five other cerebral areas (caudate, putamen, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, hippocampus) [6].…”

Increase in Serotonin-1A Autoreceptors in the Midbrain of Suicide Victims with Major Depression—Postmortem Evidence for Decreased Serotonin Activity

“…In most, but not all, studies the content of serotonin or its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), is decreased in the brainstem of suicide victims (Shaw et al, 1967;Bourne et al, 1968;Pare et al, 1969;Lloyd et al, 1974;Beskow et al, 1976;Cochran et al, 1976;Korpi et al, 1986). Suicidal behavior is associated with lower levels of 5-HIAA in the CSF, and there is evidence that suicide risk can be predicted by low 5-HIAA in CSF after a suicide attempt (Nordstrom and Asberg, 1992).…”

Organization of the stress system and its dysregulation in melancholic and atypical depression: high vs low CRH/NE states

“…Although the original catecholamine hypothesis of major depression stated that a deficient NE delivery to its receptors in the CNS was one of the main causes of depression, 77 studies of NE or its metabolites in CSF, plasma, or urine, or of components of the noradrenergic system in post-mortem brain samples, reported indices suggestive of decreased, [79][80][81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96] normal, [97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105] or increased [106][107][108][109][110] delivery of NE to its intended receptors in the CNS or periphery. It should be noted that almost all of the prior studies of CSF NE or its metabolites in depressed patients were based on single time points.…”