Skin-testing with neurotransmitters in schizophrenic patients

Pilot data are presented on a methodology to study a profile of simultaneous reactivity to intradermally injected norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, and histamine. The subject groups were young and old schizophrenics on medication and young control volunteers. Skin reactivity in terms of vasoconstriction, vasodilation, and whealing was measured over the course of 3 hours after the injections. Although interpretation of the results is limited by several sources of confounding error and the small number of subjects, the data suggest that skin-test profiles are sensitive enough to yield significant differences between the groups, particularly in the area of vasoconstriction. Further, abnormal skin reactivity may mirror the hypothesized alterations in CNS neurotransmitter physiology in schizophrenic patients.