Belief in life after death, salivary 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol, and well-being among older people without cognitive impairment dwelling in rural Japan.

OBJECTIVES: Research has found that spirituality/religiosity has a salutary association with mental/physical health. However, the association of belief in life after death with well-being has rarely been studied, and the same is true of its association with biological indices, such as monoamine transmitters. Therefore, we examined the associations between well-being and religiosity, salivary 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (sMHPG), and demographic characteristics. METHODS: The participants were 346 community-dwelling people, aged 65 years or older, without cognitive or mental deficits, in rural Japan. Measures of religiosity consisted of belief in life after death, attachment to life, and experiences related to death and religion. The measures were assessed by scales specifically suited for Japanese religious orientations. Participants' well-being was assessed by a life satisfaction scale containing two subscales. We also measured sMHPG, a major metabolite of noradrenaline that is thought to reflect certain psychological states, such as psychomotor retardation and effortful attention. RESULTS: One subscale of life satisfaction was positively associated with belief in life after death and sMHPG, and the other life satisfaction subscale was positively associated with education and death/religion-related experiences (e.g., visiting family graves or loss of a friend). Gender differences were found in afterlife beliefs and each life satisfaction subscale. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that religiosity, including belief in life after death and death/religion-related experiences, is salubriously associated with mental health among older people, especially women, living in rural Japan. The basal level of sMHPG was positively associated with life satisfaction, but not with belief in life after death.

Effects of Celastrus paniculatus on passive avoidance performance and biogenic amine turnover in albino rats.

The effects of an indigenous drug, Celastrus oil, extracted from the seeds of Celastrus paniculatus on learning and memory in a two compartment passive avoidance task was studied in albino rats. The effects on the contents of norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) in the brain and on the levels of their metabolites both in the brain and urine were also assessed. Significant improvement was observed in the retention ability of the drug treated rats compared with the saline administered controls. The contents of NE, DA and 5-HT and their metabolites in the brain were significantly decreased in the drug treated group. The urinary metabolite levels were also significantly decreased except for total 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl glycol. These data indicate that Celastrus oil causes an overall decrease in the turnover of all the three central monoamines and implicate the involvement of these aminergic systems in the learning and memory process.

Changes in norepinephrine output following light therapy for fall/winter seasonal depression.

Recurrent fall/winter depressions that remit during spring and summer have been called Seasonal Affective Disorders (SAD) (Wehr and Rosenthal 1989). The pathophysiology of SAD, its relationship to nonseasonal affective disorders, and the mechanism of action of light therapy, which is effective in treating SAD, remain to be elucidated (Depue et al 1989; Jacobsen et al 1987; James et al 1986; Joseph-Vanderpool et al 1991; Skwerer et al 1988, Terman et al 1989). Norepinephrine (NE) may play a role in the mechanisms of action of many antidepressant treatments (Schildkraut 1965) that alter NE metabolism (Schildkraut et al 1964 and 1965) and decrease the urinary output of NE and its metabolites, i.e., "whole-body NE turnover" (WBNET) (Golden et al 1988; Potter et al 1988). The present study explored whether light therapy also reduces the urinary output of NE and its metabolites.

[Effect of qigong on sympathetico-adrenomedullary function in patients with liver yang exuberance hypertension].

By using the differential diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine to determine the types of hypertension, using the diagnosis of western medicine (WM) to determine the phases of hypertension, 61 inpatients of Liver Yang exuberance type hypertension were randomly divided into Qigong group and WM group. The patients in the Qigong group were treated with both Qigong and antihypertensive drugs at low dosage, but those in the WM group were treated with the drugs alone. Several laboratory tests concerning sympathetico-adrenomedullary functions were conducted twice respectively at 1st and 9th week after hospitalization of the patients. The results indicated that the Qigong group after treatment of 9 weeks had more cases with normal sympathetico-adrenomedullary functions than it had before the treatment, and that their urinary CA, E, NE decreased, MHPG-SO4 increased, plasma cAMP and cGMP got down, but cAMP/cGMP ratio got up. It suggested that Qigong could modulate the sympathetico-adrenomedullary functions of patients with Liver Yang exuberance type hypertension.

Evidence for a hypothalamic alteration of catecholamine metabolism in polycystic ovary syndrome.

The role of brain catecholamine (CA) activity in the neuroendocrine regulation of the GnRH-LH system in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO) was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detector. We measured urinary dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NA), adrenaline (A), vanillylmandelic acid (VMA), homovanillic acid (HVA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and total 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) levels in a group of 12 women with PCO before and during peripheral dopa-decarboxylase blockade, by carbidopa. HVA and DOPAC concentrations were significantly lower (P less than 0.001 and P less than 0.005, respectively) in PCO patients compared with twelve control subjects in early follicular phase, whereas total MHPG concentrations and MHPG/VMA ratio were significantly higher (P less than 0.005) in PCO patients. Moreover, HVA and DOPAC concentrations in PCO patients were similar to those of the control subjects in preovulatory phase, while MHPG concentrations remained higher in PCO patients (P less than 0.01). DA, NA, A and VMA concentrations were similar to those of control subjects in both phases of the cycle. During carbidopa administration the concentrations of all urinary CAs and metabolites were unchanged, except those of DA which dropped markedly (P less than 0.001). These data suggest that (1) an altered central catecholamine metabolism consisting of DA deficiency and NA excess is present in PCO, and (2) the site of DA deficiency may be located in the hypothalamus.

Lack of correlation between plasma DOPEG and urinary MOPEG levels in depressed patients.

Twenty-four-hour urinary excretion of 3-methoxy,4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (MOPEG) and levels of free and conjugated plasma 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (DOPEG) were measured in 56 depressed patients to find a possible correlation between these two peripheral indices of cerebral noradrenergic activity. Plasma DOPEG was measured at 9:00 AM on the same day that urine was collected for the measurement of MOPEG. All depressed patients were diagnosed as having affective disorders according to DSM-III. No correlation was found between plasma free or conjugated DOPEG levels and urinary MOPEG output. This lack of correlation was found in the total sample of depressed patients (56), in 45 patients diagnosed as having major depressive episodes, and in 24 depressed patients diagnosed as major depressive with melancholia. The authors discuss the significance of this lack of correlation between two peripheral indices of central noradrenergic metabolism.

Urinary 3-methoxy, 4-hydroxyphenylethylene glycol and therapeutic response to maprotiline and indalpine in major depression.

The potential value of pretreatment urinary 3-methoxy, 4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (MHPG) levels to predict the therapeutic response to antidepressants was studied by measuring urinary MHPG output in 42 depressed inpatients treated with a selective inhibitor of serotonin (Indalpine) or noradrenaline (Maprotiline) reuptake. Among the 42 depressed inpatients there were 33 cases of major depressive episode. Patients were treated for at least 3 weeks, firstly with intravenous infusions of maprotiline or indalpine which have been administered at random. No difference in pretreatment urinary MHPG levels was found between the responders to indalpine (1.08 +/- 0.48 micrograms/24 h/mg of creatinine) and the responders to maprotiline (1.15 +/- 0.62 micrograms/24 h/mg of creatinine). However, there was a difference in the pretreatment levels of urinary MHPG between the non-responders to indalpine (0.56 +/- 0.28 microgram/24 h/mg of creatinine) and the non-responders to maprotiline (1.37 +/- 0.68 micrograms/24 h/mg of creatinine). No correlation between this biochemical parameter and HDRS score was found. These results indicate that, in this study, there is no obvious relationship between the pretreatment urinary MHPG levels in depressed patients and their therapeutic response to specific inhibitors of noradrenaline or serotonin reuptake. However, there was a positive trend towards a lower pretreatment MHPG level to be associated with lack of response to indalpine.

Urinary 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol sulfate excretion in seventy-three schoolchildren with minimal brain dysfunction syndrome.

Although many authors have studied the urinary excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) of minimal brain dysfunction (MBD) children to explore a possible mechanism for this disorder, the mechanism remains unclear. The present study extends the determinations of urinary MHPG X SO4 in MBD schoolchildren to a larger sample to determine whether or not the function of central norepinephrine (NE) of MBD children is normal. 24-hr urinary excretion of MHPG X SO4 was determined in 73 schoolchildren with MBD and 57 normal controls. MGPG X SO4 level was significantly lower in the MBD children than in the control group. 38 of these children received an open trial of methylphenidate and the urine specimen was examined blindly. The children with marked improvement showed significant decrease in urinary MHPD X SO4 while the nonresponders showed no change, but rather a slight increase. This was also demonstrated in a second drug trial in which eight MBD children received Chinese herbal medicine. The authors compare the clinical data with the biochemical findings and point out that the MBD children developed hypoactivity of central NE, especially those with positive genetic factors in their family history.

Obesity and precursor availability affect urinary catecholamine metabolite production in women.

The effect of obesity and tyrosine (tyr) supplements on catecholamine metabolism in 12 normal weight and nine obese adult women was studied. Protein intake was maintained at 1.4 g protein/kg fat-free mass daily for 4 days with tyr added (0.26 g/kg fat-free mass) to the liquid diet on the last 2 days. In the 12 normal subjects, but not the obese, base-line urinary excretion of the norepinephrine metabolite, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy phenylethyleneglycol was related to body fat whereas excretion of the norepinephrine metabolite vanilmandelic acid was related to fat-free mass and to total energy intake. Normal subjects responded to tyr with elevations in plasma tyr/neutral amino acid, plasma 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy phenylethyleneglycol, urinary vanilmandelic acid, and homovanillic acid, a dopamine metabolite, but not the norepinephrine metabolite, dihydroxy phenylethyleneglycol. The obese showed no increase in plasma or urinary 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy phenylethyleneglycol during tyr supplementation, although vanilmandelic acid and homovanillic acid increased. We conclude that urinary catecholamine metabolite production is related to body composition and to tyr intake in normal weight women. These relationships however, are altered in the obese, suggesting an association of obesity with abnormal catecholamine metabolism.

The effect of electric acupuncture treatment on urinary MHPG-sulphate excretion in unmedicated schizophrenics.

The daily urinary excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol sulphate (MHPG-SO4) was determined before and during the course of electric acupuncture treatment (EAT) in eight unmedicated schizophrenic patients. The mean excretion of MHPG-SO4 before treatment was 1439 +/- 74 micrograms/24 hr. EAT was administered once daily and continued for two weeks. The urinary MHPG-SO4 excretion steadily increased during the course of EAT. The mean values obtained during the first and second weeks of treatment were 1712 +/- 108 micrograms/24 hr and 1920 +/- 81 micrograms/24 hr respectively, each being significantly higher than the mean value obtained before EAT.

Effect of supplemental ascorbic acid in a case of torsion dystonia.

Determinations of various catecholamines and their metabolites have been performed on 24-hr urine collecions obtained from a patient with torsion dystonia and compared to values obtained in a control population. This study was initiated following significant symptomatic worsening by the patient with supplemental ascorbic acid at a dosage of 2 g/day. Compared to base-line values, there resulted no significant alteration in urinary excretion of DOPA, dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, or VMA for either the patient or a group of controls, receiving 1 g/day vitamin C. MHPG is the glycol metabolite of norepinephrine, and is produced both in central and systemic tissues, whereas VMA is not synthesized in brain. The MHPG excretion for the patient increased 150% with supplemental ascorbate, whereas the control individuals demonstrated a mean increase of 19.6%. It is possible that the symptomatic worsening by the patient and the increased excretion of MHPG in response to supplemental ascorbic acid are causally related. Ascorbic acid affects catecholamine biosynthesis at two metabolic loci; it is the necessary cofactor for dopamine-beta-hydroxylase and, by maintaining biopterin in reduced form, facilitates tyrosine hydroxylase holoenzyme activity. Thus, the vitamin may have effected increased central synthesis or turnover of norepinephrine, or both, with resultant clinical worsening.