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Psychiatric vulnerability, monoamine oxidase, and the average evoked potential
Archives of General Psychiatry
|March 1, 1980
Summary
College students with specific combinations of low monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and sensory augmentation, or high MAO activity and sensory reduction, showed higher rates of psychopathology, particularly affective disorder.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
Background:
- Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and average evoked potential (AEP) are biological markers.
- Psychopathology, especially affective disorders, has complex underlying mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between MAO activity, AEP, and psychopathology in college students.
- To explore potential biological correlates of affective disorders.
Main Methods:
- Two studies involving college students measured platelet MAO activity and AEP.
- Psychopathology was assessed using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC).
Main Results:
- A pattern emerged where individuals with low MAO activity and AEP augmentation, or high MAO activity and AEP reduction, exhibited increased psychopathology.
- This pattern was consistent across studies, regardless of selection criteria (MAO levels or MMPI scores).
- Similar patterns were observed in some psychiatric patient groups.
Conclusions:
- Specific interactions between MAO activity and AEP may be associated with psychopathology, including affective disorders.
- An interactive model of sensation-seeking and sensory inhibition is proposed to explain these findings.