Abstract
<h3>To the Editor.—</h3> The possible biochemical heterogeneity of affective disorders has been discussed during the last decade.<sup>1</sup>The bimodal distribution of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) supports the hypothesis that a subgroup of endogenous depressives have a disturbance in serotonin neurotransmission.<sup>2</sup> Moreover, significantly lower homevanillic acid (HVA) levels in the CSF were found in depressed patients compared with healthy control subjects.<sup>3</sup>This finding and results from other studies indicate that dopamine might be involved in the pathogenesis of affective disorders.<sup>3</sup>The antidepressant effect of the dopamine agonists bromocriptine<sup>6,7</sup>and piribedil<sup>8</sup>supports this hypothesis. Silverstone<sup>7</sup>has shown that patients with bipolar but not unipolar depression responded to bromocriptine. This indicates that bipolar and unipolar depression might differ in central dopaminergic neurotransmission. <h3>Patients and Methods.—</h3> Our study group comprised 50 nontreated patients (age range, 24 to 73 years; 21 men and 29 women)
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
