Faculty Collaboration Database

Platelet monoamine oxidase in alcoholism. Biol Psychiatry 1988 May;24(1):15-24

Date

05/01/1988

Pubmed ID

3370274

DOI

10.1016/0006-3223(88)90117-5

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0023820283 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   58 Citations

Abstract

We studied platelet monamine oxidase (MAO) activity using 14C-tyramine as substrate in hospitalized alcoholic patients in the early phases of abstinence and in nonhospitalized normal control volunteers. Platelet MAO was determined in 75 patients (67 men, 8 women) with alcoholism and 123 normal control volunteers (52 men, 71 women). The platelet MAO activity in alcoholic patients was significantly lower than in normal control volunteers. We also observed that the mean platelet MAO activity in male alcoholics was significantly lower than in normal males. The analysis of platelet MAO in alcoholics revealed a mixture of two normal distributions. Alcoholic patients falling into the low MAO component were younger in age, with a lower age of onset of alcoholism, and had higher frequencies of family history of alcoholism. They thus resembled type II alcoholics described by other investigators. Platelet MAO may thus serve as a useful biological marker for subtyping alcoholism and identifying high-risk groups at an early stage. The findings of this study are consistent with previous reports of low platelet MAO activity in alcoholic patients.

Author List

Pandey GN, Fawcett J, Gibbons R, Clark DC, Davis JM

Author

David C. Clark PhD Assistant Dean, Professor in the Research Office department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Alcoholism
Blood Platelets
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Monoamine Oxidase
Risk Factors