CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID MONOAMINE METABOLITES IN BOYS WITH ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), plasma, and urinary monoamine metabolites w ere determined for 29 boys, aged 6-12, with attention-deficit hyperact ivity disorder (ADHD). Levels of CSF 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIA A), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG ), the metabolites of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, respect ively, correlated significantly with behavioral measures of aggression and impulsivity/hyperactivity. However, these correlations were in th e unexpected direction; for example, CSF 5-HIAA correlated positively with the Brown-Goodwin Lifetime History of Aggression Scale. HVA in CS F was positively correlated with several measures of hyperactivity. Th e replicability of these findings, as well as possible socioenvironmen tal effects, and the predictive value of CSF monoamines in prepubertal hyperactivity are the subjects of ongoing study.