Postmortem changes in the levels of monoamine metabolites in human cerebrospinal fluid

Four monoamine metabolites, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), were determined in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of cadavers, whose causes of death had been suicidal hanging (SH) or ischemic heart failure (IHF). The concentration of DOPAC increased in parallel with the increment of the postmortem interval (PMI) (r = 0.626), whereas the concentrations of HVA, MHPG and 5-HIAA did not. The correlation coefficient was further increased by considering each cause of death separately: i.e., SH, r = 0.761; IHF, r = 0.705. These findings suggest the possible usefulness of the DOPAC level in CSF for estimating PMI.