Cerebrospinal fluid amine metabolites, tryptophan and clinical parameters in depression. Part 2. Psychopathological symptoms.

The group of 33 severely depressed female patients was divided into 3 equally large subgroups, separately according to their CSF 5-HIAA, HVA, tryptophan and total plasma tryptophan, and the severity of 17 operationally defined psychopathological symptoms was compared between the subgroups containing the highest and lowest biochemical values. Nonparametric statistical testing yielded significant results on several symptoms, when the subgroups were formed from CSF 5-HIAA and HVA. There was only one significant symptom difference between subgroups separated by CSF tryptophan and a few other differences by plasma tryptophan level. The results indicate that lumbar CSF metabolites correlate more with certain individual symptoms than with the global severity of depression.