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Abstract:
To understand the biological significance of a decreased platelet MAO activity in schizophrenia, it is important to answer many questions about the basic molecular properties of the enzyme. The past decade has witnessed a huge expansion of research in this area which has provided some of these answers. A wide variety of experimental evidence strongly supports the concept of two forms of MAO (types A and B) that are present in most tissues but in varying relative amounts. However, human platelets contain only the type B form of MAO. This review discusses what is known about the molecular properties of MAO, what questions remain unresolved, and the significance of both the answered and unanswered questions to understanding the measurement of platelet MAO activity in schizophrenic patients.