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Variation in some central monoamine levels has been shown to be influenced by cyclical
changes in gonadal hormones in women; however, there is less consensus about how the
human menstrual cycle affects turnover of dopamine. Fluctuations in plasma homovanillic
acid (HVA) are thought to represent changes in central dopamine turnover and activity
and, some suggest, may be used to monitor the response to neuroleptic medication or
to predict those more likely to respond to antipsychotic treatment. We have measured
the effect of fluctuations in gonadal hormones on the level of plasma HVA at four
consecutive points across the menstrual cycles of 30 healthy volunteers. We found
no significant change in plasma HVA over the cycle and there was no correlation with
either estradiol or progesterone levels. This study suggests that peripheral markers
of central dopamine function do not change significantly with physiological changes
in gonadal hormones levels.
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Article info
Publication history
Received in revised form:
May 30,
1995
Received:
November 14,
1994
Identification
Copyright
© 1996 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc.
