Blood platelet monoamine oxidase activity in anergic schizophrenics

Blood platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity was evaluated in twenty-four anergic, schizophrenic outpatients during a double-blind study comparing a chlorpromazine-imipramine combination to thio-thixeneplacebo. Platelet MAO activity was determined on blood samples drawn after a two-week drug-free washout and once weekly over a four-week on-drug period. Schizophrenic patients could be classified according to their blood platelet MAO activity into either a low-MAO or a high-MAO group. In neither group of this population of schizophrenics did blood platelet MAO activity correlate with any of the primary or secondary symptoms of schizophrenia. Ten alcoholics and seven volunteer non-patients could similarly be divided into low- and high-MAO groups. Mean blood platelet MAO activity for these groups was not significantly different from the mean values of the low and high-MAO groups of the schizophrenics. These findings do not support published reports of low blood platelet activity as a genetic marker for schizophrenia. Discriminate function analysis of symptomatology ratings at baseline was used to characterize the low- and high-MAO schizophrenic patient groups. Individuals in the low-MAO group were distinguished by hyperactivity, anergia and sleep disturbance.