MAO INHIBITORY SIDE-EFFECTS OF NEUROLEPTICS AND PLATELET SEROTONIN CONTENT IN SCHIZOPHRENIC-PATIENTS

In order to study the putative monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitory side effect of neuroleptics and simultaneous changes in platelet serotonin content both MAO-B activity and serotonin (5-HT) content in platelets of 30 healthy volunteers and 50 schizophrenic patients treated with n euroleptics were investigated. Our results have shown significantly lo wer MAO-B activity (15.26 +/- 6.81 S.D. vs. 8.63 +/- 3.82 mmol/hour/10 (9) platelets) and higher platelet 5-HT content (906.19 +/- 285.33 vs. 1,727.85 +/- 947.40 ng/10(9) platelets) in the schizophrenic group. P latelet MAO-B activity was considerably lower in paranoid and residual schizophrenics compared with other patients, however, no difference w as found in platelet 5-HT content between different subtypes of schizo phrenia. Various neuroleptic treatments did not produce different effe cts either on platelet serotonin content or platelet MAO-B activity.