Relationships between urinary catecholamine metabolites, particularly MHPG, and selected personality and physical fitness characteristics in normal subjects.

Abstract

Thirty-four normal male subjects were tested to determine the relationships between physical fitness condition (Ismail criterion), levels of self-reported depression (MMPI) and anxiety (Welsh criterion), and the urinary concentrations of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), normetanephrine (NM), and metanephrine (M). Urinary samples were collected after sleep and during occupational activities to ascertain the effects of different psychosocial stimuli on the relationships among the variables. Univariately, urinary MHPG did not relate to physical fitness and was moderately related to depression (p less than or equal to 0.10) during the occupational period. Multivariate canonical correlational results revealed a significant (p less than or equal to 0.04) relationship between the biochemical and personality sets of variables during the occupational settings. MHPG was the most sensitive catecholamine metabolite for reflecting depressive conditions. The results suggest a biochemical reactivity syndrome involving MHPG that may relate to depressive personality characteristics.