Abstract
Dopamine (DA), dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), and homovanillic acid (HVA) were measured in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 14 schizophrenic inpatients before and 2 weeks after withdrawal of long-term neuroleptic medication. Total neuroleptic-like activity (NLA) in serum was determined at the same times. DA and its metabolites (DOPAC and HVA) were significantly reduced after neuroleptic discontinuation. NLA was substantially diminished. The decrease in DA and DOPAC was positively correlated with positive symptoms of postwithdrawal deterioration, and low prewithdrawal DOPAC level predicted severe relapse. These results are compatible with the hypothesis linking an overregulated central DA system to the positive symptoms of schizophrenia.
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