MHPG: Basic Mechanisms and Psychopathology discusses the interactions between clinical biological psychiatry and basic neuropsychopharmacology. Composed of 10 chapters, this book focuses on the role of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenethyleneglycol (MHPG) in psychiatric disorders, particularly, in depression and mania. The book first examines the enzyme systems that produce MHPG in the brain and the features of these enzymes that could be used to reconcile several contradictions with regard to the origin of urinary MHPG. It then discusses the correlation between changes in impulse flow in central noradrenergic neurons of the locus ceruleus and MHPG levels in brain. The subsequent chapters cover the theoretical issues and empirical data dealing with the interrelationships between plasma and urinary measures of MHPG and central nervous system noradrenergic function. Measurement methods of MHPG in plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine are also presented. The concluding chapters deal with the relevant human studies in patient and nonpatient populations concerning the role of MHPG in depressive disorders, with particular emphasis on clinical studies in childhood and adolescence. This book is of value to clinical biologists, psychiatrists, and neuropsychopharmacologists.
