Citation

Arranz B, Blennow K, Ekman R, Månsson JE, Marcusson J. Neuropsychopharmacology 1994; 11(4): 265.

Affiliation

1] Department of Geriatric Medicine, Linköping, Sweden [2] Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, University of Göteborg, Mölndal Hospital, Sweden.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1038/sj.npp.1380133

PMID

24105148

Abstract

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), somatostatin (SOM) and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), together with the monoamines noradrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT) and their metabolites DOPAC, HVA and 5-HIAA were determined in hypothalamus, gyrus cinguli and frontal cortex of 19 suicides and 23 age-matched controls. The suicide victims were subclassified according to their method of death (violent, drug overdose, carbon monoxide poisoning) and to the existence of depressive symptoms prior to death. Overall suicides did not show statistical differences with respect to the control group in any of the measured compounds (Student's t test). Significant increases in NA (p=0.01) and DA (p=0.008) concentrations were noted in the hypothalamus of those suicides dying from carbon monoxide poisoning, while significant higher NPY concentrations (p=0.05) were found in the frontal cortex of the same suicide subgroup (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA). These findings suggest that the suicidal behaviour does not contribute to any modification in the measured compounds. However, the reported increases could be secondary to the action of carbon monoxide in some metabolic pathways.

Language: en