Summary
Activity of platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) has repeatedly been reported to be associated with various forms of psychopathology. This investigation was designed to reexamine the “biochemical high-risk paradigm” developed by Buchsbaum et al. (1976). In 383 healthy students (193 males, 190 females) platelet MAO activity was measured. The 35 students with the lowest and 37 with the highest enzyme activities were then examined with three personality tests (16 PF of Cattell, Freiburger Persönlichkeitsinventar, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire). Furthermore, biographic data with respect to psychosocial problems were explored. There were no consistent differences between subjects with low or high platelet MAO. Therefore, we could not confirm any correlation between psychopathology and platelet MAO in this study.
Zusammenfassung
Es bestehen Hinweise auf einen Zusammenhang zwischen Thrombocyten-Monoaminoxidase (MAO) und verschiedenen psychopathologischen Symptomen. In dieser Studie wurden die von Buchsbaum et al. (1976) erstmals publizierten Befunde an einer deutschen Population nachuntersucht. Bei 383 gesunden Studenten (190 Frauen und 193 Männer) war die MAO-Aktivität in den Thrombocyten bestimmt worden. 35 derjenigen Probanden mit der niedrigsten und 37 derjenigen mit der höchsten Enzymaktivität wurden dann mit drei Persönlichkeitsfragebögen (16 PF von Cattell, Freiburger Persönlichkeitsinventar, Eysenck-Persönlichkeitsfragebogen) untersucht. Überdies wurden biographische Daten im Hinblick auf psychosoziale Auffälligkeiten erfaßt. Insgesamt fanden sich keine konsistenten signifikanten Unterschiede zwischen Probanden mit hoher und niedriger MAO-Aktivität. Wir können daher eine Korrelation zwischen psychopathologischen Symptomen und der Höhe der MAO-Aktivität in dieser Untersuchung nicht bestätigen.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baenziger NL, Majerus PW (1974) Isolation of human platelets and platelet surface membranes. In: Fleischer S, Packer L (eds) Methods in enzymology, vol 31, part A. Academic Press, New York San Francisco London, pp 149–155
Buchsbaum MS, Coursey RD, Murphy DL (1976) The biochemical high-risk paradigm: behavioral and familial correlates of low platelet monoamine oxidase activity. Science 194: 339–341
Buchsbaum MS, Coursey RD, Murphy DL (1980) Schizophrenia and platelet monoamine oxidase: research strategies. Schizophrenia Bull 6:375–384
Buchsbaum MS, Haier RJ, Murphy DL (1977) Suicide attempts, platelet monoamine oxidase and the average evoked response. Acta Psychiat Scand 56:69–79
Cattell RB (1973) Personality and mood by questionnaire. Jossey-Berns, San Francisco
Coursey RD, Buchsbaum MS, Murphy DL (1979) Platelet MAO activity and evoked potentials in the identification of subjects biologically at risk for psychiatric disorders. Br J Psychiat 134:372–381
Donnelly EF, Murphy DL, Waldman IN, Buchsbaum MS, Coursey RD (1979) Psychological characteristics corresponding to low versus high platelet monoamine oxidase activity. Biol Psychiat 14:375–383
Eysenck HJ, Eysenck SBG (1975) Manual of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Hodder and Stoughton Educational, Kent
Fahrenberg J, Selg H, Hampel R (1978) Das Freiburger Persönlichkeitsinventar FPI. Handanweisung, 3. Aufl. C. J. Hogrefe, Göttingen Toronto Zürich
Friedl W, Krüger J, Propping P (1981) Intraindividual stability and extent of genetic determination of platelet monoamine oxidase activity. Pharmakopsychiatria 14:83–86
Gattaz W, Beckmann H (1981) Platelet MAO activity and personality characteristics in schizophrenic patients and normal individuals. Acta Psychiat Scand (in press)
Goodwin DW (1979) Alcoholism and heredity. Arch Gen Psychiat 36:57–61
Heigl-Evers A, Schepank H (1980) Ursprünge seelisch bedingter Krankheiten. Eine Untersuchung an 100 + 9 Zwillingspaaren mit Neurosen und psychosomatischen Erkrankungen. Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, Göttingen
Krauth J, Lienert GA (1973) Die Konfigurationsfrequenzanalyse und ihre Anwendung in Psychologie und Medizin. Alber, Freiburg
Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ (1951) Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193:265–275
Maubach M, Diebold K, Friedl W, Propping P (1981) Platelet MAO activity in patients with affective psychosis and their first-degree relatives. Pharmakopsychiatria 14:87–93
Murphy DL, Belmaker RH, Buchsbaum M, Martin NF, Ciaranello R, Wyatt RJ (1977) Biogenic amine-related enzymes and personality variations in normals. Psychol Med 7:149–157
Murphy DL, Weiss R (1972) Reduced monoamine oxidase activity in blood platelets from bipolar depressed patients. Am J Psychiat 128:1351–1357
Propping P, Friedl W (1979) Platelet monoamine oxidase activity in first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients. Psychopharmacology 65:265–272
Puchall LB, Coursey RD, Buchsbaum MS, Murphy DL (1980) Parents of high risk subjects defined by levels of monoamine oxidase activity. Schizophrenia Bull 6:338–346
Schooler C, Zahn TP, Murphy DL, Buchsbaum MS (1978) Psychological correlates of monoamine oxidase activity in normals. J Nerv Ment Dis 166:177–186
Shaughnessy R, Dorus E, Pandey GN, Davis JM (1980) Personality correlates of platelet monoamine oxidase activity and red cell lithium transport. Psychiatr Res 2:63–74
Vogel F, Motulsky AG (1979) Human genetics. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Winter H, Herschel M, Propping P, Friedl W, Vogel F (1978) A twin study on three enzymes (DBH, COMT, MAO) of catecholamine metabolism. Correlations with MMPI. Psychopharmacology 57:63–69
Wurtman RJ, Axelrod J (1963) Sex steroids, cardiac 3H-norepinephrine, and tissue monoamine oxidase levels in the rat. Biochem Pharmacol 12:1417–1419
Wyatt RJ, Potkin SG, Murphy DL (1979) Platelet monoamine oxidase activity in schizophrenia. Review of the data. Am J Psychiatr 136:377–385
Zerbin-Rüdin E (1980) Psychiatrische Genetik. In: Kisker KP, Meyer JE, Müller C, Strömgren E (eds) Psychiatrie der Gegenwart. Forschung und Praxis, Bd I/2. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 545–618
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Propping, P., Rey, E.R., Friedl, W. et al. Platelet monoamine oxidase in healthy subjects: The “biochemical high-risk paradigm” revisited. Arch Psychiatr Nervenkr 230, 209–219 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00344446
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00344446