Abstract
In 22 patients with major affective disorders, phenyl-ethylamine (PE) excretion tended to be higher and more variable in 12 females (25 ± 39 μg/d) than in 10 males (8 ± 1 μg/day). In a subgroup of 15 patients studied intensively as part of a treatment trial with the MA0-inhibitors, clorgyline and pargyline, pretreatment PE excretion was not consistently associated with differences in severity of depression, anxiety, activation or hypomania, although almost all correlations with psychopathology were in the negative direction, including several [self-rated dysphoria (r=-.55), anger (r=-.49), functional deficit (r=-.59)] which were statistically significant. Excretion of m-tyramine (m-TA) also exhibited generally negative associations with psychopathology, including self-rated depression (r=-.52) and anxiety (r=-.59), while hypomania was positively correlated (r=.72). Significant cross-correlations among PE, m-TA, and p-TA were not present at baseline, but MAO-inhibitor treatment led to intercorrelated increases in these trace amines, as well as phenylethanolamine, o-TA and platelet MAO activity changes. Increased PE excretion was associated with significantly decreased self-rated depression and anxiety during MAO-inhibitor treatment. Some baseline cardiovascular measures were negatively correlated with PE excretion, including systolic blood pressure, pulse and plasma norepinephrine concentrations, while baseline p-TA excretion was significantly correlated with pulse increases and systolic and diastolic blood pressure reductions produced by standing. These associations suggest that further study of behavioral connections with PE and m-TA excretion and of cardiovascular interactions with p-TA and PE might be of interest. Our data could be considered consistent with an amended hypothesis relating phenylethylamine to a cluster of depression-related symptoms including dysphoria and anger, but not depressed mood alone.
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Murphy, D.L., Karoum, F., Alterman, I., Lipper, S., Wyatt, R.J. (1984). Phenylethylamine, Tyramine and Other Trace Amines in Patients with Affective Disorders: Associations with Clinical State and Antidepressant Drug Treatment. In: Boulton, A.A., Baker, G.B., Dewhurst, W.G., Sandler, M. (eds) Neurobiology of the Trace Amines. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5312-9_43
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-5312-9_43
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