Monoamine Metabolites in Cerebrospinal Fluid in Relation to Depressive Illness, Suicidal Behaviour and Personality (IN: Recent Advances in Neuropsychopharmacology, edited by B Angrist et al)

In this review of studies of cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of metabolites of serotonin, dopamine & noradrenaline in depressed patients & healthy volunteer controls, the importance of taking variables such as the subjects’ age & body height into account is discussed. A low CSF 5-HIAA was associated with an increased frequency of suicidal acts. In patients who had made a suicide attempt & had a CSF 5-HIAA concentration below 90 nanomol/L, the one-year mortality in suicide was 22%. Patients with low CSF 5-HIAA had significantly higher ratings of aggression & anxiety than patients with normal 5-HIAA, but equal ratings of depression. (57 refs.)