Total plasma 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) in alzheimer patients. Comparison with depressives and normal controls

✍ Scribed by Jean M. Azorin; Bernard Michel; Brigitte Chave; Daniel Raucoules; Marc Valli; Christophe Lancon

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 457 KB
• Volume: 5
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6230
• DOI: 10.1002/gps.930050607

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Plasma levels of total 3‐methoxy‐4‐hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) were found to be significantly higher in patients with Alzheimer's disease (N = 20) than in age‐ and sex‐matched normal controls and dexamethasone‐resistant melancholic patients. Contrary to previous studies, the highest levels were not found in the most severely demented patients and this increase was not related to the duration of the illness. Although the significance of these findings remains unclear, they suggest that determination of total plasma MHPG may be useful in the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and depressive disorder.