SERUM DOPAMINE‐β‐HYDROXYLASE IN SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS

Abstract

Abstract— Dopamine‐β‐hydroxylase (DBH) activity in serum was decreased significantly in schizophrenic patients (16.17 ± 12.60 μmol/min/1 of serum, mean ± S.D., n = 149) when compared with that of normal controls (42.53 ± 30.94 μmol/min/1 of serum, mean ± S.D., n= 153) and neurotic patients. Long duration of disease did not cause any significant changes in serum DBH activity except a tendency for increase in patients of lodger than 18 years duration. We also examined the possibility that the serum DBH deficiency in the schizophrenic group was an artifact of treatment with antipsychotic drugs, especially phenothiazines. No significant difference was observed between the patients treated with the drugs and the patients not receiving the drugs.

Dopamine β-hydroxylase: two polymorphisms in linkage disequilibrium at the structural gene DBH associate with biochemical phenotypic variation

“…Similarly, attempts to distinguish schizophrenic, affectively ill, or other psychiatric patients from each other or from controls on the basis of serum or plasma DβH activity have usually been unsuccessful (Sternberg et al 1983;Meltzer et al 1976;Eisemann et al 1983;Shopsin et al 1972;Gershon et al 1980;Lykouras et al 1988). One study that found differences between the serum DβH activity of Japanese schizophrenic patients and controls (Fujita et al 1978) did not use operational criteria for diagnosis. Allele frequencies of other DBH polymorphisms differ substantially in East Asians and Europeans (Cubells et al 1997), so the findings of that study, even if confirmed in a study using operational diagnostic criteria, may not apply to the present subjects.…”

Neuroleptic Drug Effect on Plasma Dopamine-Beta-Hydroxylase in Schizophrenia

“…Studies of plasma DBH activity have yielded conflicting re sults. Fujita et al [1978], Booh et al [1978], Baron et al [1980] and Mellzer et al [1980] reported significantly reduced DBH activity in some schizophrenic patients, although other studies failed to confirm this finding [review: DeLisi et al, 1981], Reported patient-control differences in DBH activity may be confounded by neuro leptic drug effect. The three reports so far published on the relationship between neuro leptic treatment and DBH activity have pro duced discrepant results.…”

Plasma Noradrenaline and Clinical Psychopathology in Schizophrenia

“…Based on findings of decreased dopamine-(3-hydroxylase (DBH) activity in the autopsied brains and sera of schizophrenics, Wise and Stein [1973] and Fujita et al [1978] postulated that hypoactivity of the noradrenergic system could be a pathogenetic factor in schizophrenia. Later reports failed to confirm these results [Delisi et al, 1980;Lerner et al, 1979;Cross et al, 1978;Crow et al, 1979] and, more recently, high noradrenaline levels were described in some brain areas [Farley et al, 1980;Spokes, 1980] and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of schizophrenics.…”