Plasma homovanillic acid in schizophrenia : implications for presynaptic dopamine dysfunction

Foreword. Plasma HVA as a tool to investigate presynaptic brain dopaminergic activity. Studies of the clinical correlates of elevated plasma catecholamine metabolites. Review of plasma HVA studies in schizophrenia. Plasma HVA and subtyping of schizophrenia. Catecholamines, their metabolites, and response to typical and atypical neuroleptics: toward an understanding of the mechanisms of action of neuroleptic drugs. Stabilizing systems in the brain. Early increase of plasma HVA during neuroleptic treatment: a tool for outcome prediction and for subtyping of schizophrenia. Dopaminergic plasticity in schizophrenia. Plasma HVA in schizotypal personality disorder. Methodological issues in interpreting plasma HVA levels in studies of schizophrenia. Methodological enhancements: the central dopaminergic index of plasma HVA. Afterword. Index.