3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid in rat plasma: Possible indicators of central dopaminergic activity

Regional changes in catecholamine content of the pregnant uterus

“…In rat brain the concentration of dopamine metabolites DOPAC and homovanillic acid are dependent upon impulse frequency in dopaminergic neurones (Bacopoulos, Hattox & Roth, 1979). Further, in some peripheral tissues of rat and human these catabolite levels are high and it was suggested that this reflected release of dopamine in preference for use in noradrenaline synthesis (Lackovic et ai, 1982).…”

Plasma Catecholamine Metabolites as Markers for Psychosis and Antipsychotic Response in Schizophrenia

“…Interactions between the two systems have been well studied in the CSF and plasma of schizophrenic patients through their respective metabolites: the dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA) and the norepinephrine metabolite 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG). Plasma HVA has been shown to reflect central or brain dopamine activity through studies in animals and humans (Bacopoulos et al 1979;Kendler et al 1982;Maas et al 1993;Lambert et al 1993;Amin et al 1992), indicating that 11-35% of plasma HVA comes from the brain.Several studies of schizophrenia have noted that the behavioral response to antipsychotic drugs (i.e., a decrease in psychosis levels) parallels a decrease in plasma HVA levels in schizophrenic patients over time (Pickar et al 1984(Pickar et al , 1986Davidson and Davis 1988;Davila et al 1988;Mazure et al 1991;Sharma et al 1989). Some studies have reported an initial increase in plasma HVA in the first week of antipsychotic drug From the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (MEK, JKY, DPvK), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (JKY, DPvK), University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.…”

“…Interactions between the two systems have been well studied in the CSF and plasma of schizophrenic patients through their respective metabolites: the dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA) and the norepinephrine metabolite 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG). Plasma HVA has been shown to reflect central or brain dopamine activity through studies in animals and humans (Bacopoulos et al 1979;Kendler et al 1982;Maas et al 1993;Lambert et al 1993;Amin et al 1992), indicating that 11-35% of plasma HVA comes from the brain.…”

Plasma Homovanillic Acid and Performance on Motor and Cognitive Tasks in Community-Dwelling Elderly: MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging

“…To iden tify the dopaminergic correlates of certain motor and cognitive tasks, the major DA metabolite homovanillic acid (HV A) in plasma was studied in a community dwelling elderly cohort. Several lines of evidence sug gest that plasma HV A is derived in part from the brain DA neurons and that plasma-HV A concentrations under controlled conditions may reflect central DA activity (Bacopoulos et al 1979;Kendler et al 1982Kendler et al , 1984Konicki et al 1991;Amin et al 1992). Because brady kinesia and gait disturbances are common symptoms 0893-133X/94/$7.00 of Parkinson's disease, hand-signature time (HST) and walking time were selected as the motor measures of interest.…”