Platelet and Plasma Amine Oxidase Activity in Alcoholic Individuals

Abstract

Platelet and plasma amine oxidase activity was determined in a group of 99 healthy male (active duty military) alcoholics referred for hospital treatment who had been abstinent from alcohol for 2-10 days, and compared with that of a control military group. Platelet MAO activity was slightly but significantly lower in the alcoholic group. Both groups were significantly lower in MAO activity compared to a group of 42 non-military controls. In the alcoholic group there was no correlation between platelet MAO and severity or chronicity of drinking, nor was there evidence of iron deficiency to account for the lowered MAO activity. When the alcoholic and military control groups were split at the median, the first degree relatives of both the 'low' MAO alcoholics and the 'low' MAO military controls had a higher incidence of alcoholism than did the relatives of both 'high' MAO subgroups. No personal or family history data of alcohol-related problems were available on the non-military control group.

Sequence Analysis of Exon 8 of MAO-A Gene in Alcoholics with Antisocial Personality and Normal Controls

“…Platelet MAO (MAO-B) activity has been the subject of great interest in psychiatry since Murphy and Wyatt (1972) reported MAO activity to be lower in chronic schizophrenics than in controls. Low platelet MAO activity has also been associated with alcoholism (Major and Murphy, 1978;Sullivan et al, 1979). Moreover, Major and Murphy (1978) found that first-degree relatives of alcoholics exhibiting low MAO-B activity as well as relatives of controls with low MAO-B activity had a higher incidence of alcoholism than the relatives of high-MAO alcoholics and normal controls.…”

Reckless behavior in adolescence: A developmental perspective

“…In relation to reckless behavior, a study of 18-year-old Swedish draftees found that low-MAO males were higher in SSS scores than high-MAO males, and the low-MAO males were also more likely to report reckless behavior such as drug use and criminality (von Knorring, Oreland, & Winbald, 1983). Low MAO levels are also characteristic of alcoholics (Major & Murphy, 1978) and chronic marijuana users (Stillman et al, 1978). Since MAO is negatively correlated with sensation seeking and sensation seeking is negatively correlated with age, one might reasonably expect to find that MAO levels increase with age; one study (Robinson, Davis, Nies, Ravaris, & Sylvester, 1971) bears this out, although another (Murphy, Wright, Buchsbaum, Nichols, Costa, & Wyatt, 1976) reports no age differences in MAO levels.…”

2-Year Follow-Up of Subjects and Their Families Defined as at Risk for Psychopathology on the Basis of Platelet MAO Activities

“…While these studies do not rule out a pharma cological effect of these drugs on platelet MAO, the finding of low MAO in relatives of alcoholics [Sullivan et al. 1979;Major and Murphy, 1978] and alcoholism in relatives of probands with low MAO [Puchall et al, 1980] tends to suggest that drug use may be part of the low-MAO syndrome rather than merely an artifact.…”