Urinary 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol in affective and schizophrenic patients. Behavior and symptom correlates

The relations between urinary 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol, (MHPG) excretion, ward behavior in two environments (dayroom and gym), and symptomatology were examined in 58 psychiatric inpatients. In the total patient sample, idiosyncratic behaviors and body activity correlated positively with MHPG levels. Among depressed patients MHPG correlated negatively with eating lunch in the dayroom and positively with self-reported appetite loss, suggesting that appetite disturbance in major depression may be due to high norepinephrine turnover. The results support the utility of naturalistic observation instruments in exploring the relations between psychopathology and biological substrates.