The British Journal of Psychiatry 150: 656-661 (1987)
© 1987 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Further studies of vanadium in depressive psychosis
GJ Naylor, FM Corrigan, AH Smith, P Connelly and NI Ward
Department of Psychiatry, Royal Dundee Liff Hospital.
Three studies are reported. In study 1, vanadium concentration was
estimated by neutron activation analysis in hair, whole blood, serum and
urine from 13 patients suffering from depressive psychosis and then when on
recovery. Vanadium concentration of hair, whole blood and serum decreased
significantly with recovery, but there was no significant change in 24-h
urinary excretion or in renal clearance of vanadium. In study 2, vanadium
concentration was estimated by neutron activation analysis in serum and
urine of 31 patients with depressive psychosis and of 27 normal controls.
Mean renal clearance of vanadium was significantly lower and mean serum
vanadium concentration significantly higher in depressed patients than in
controls. Mean 24-h excretion of vanadium did not differ between the two
groups. Vanadium excretion did not correlate with urine volume, with serum
concentration or with age. In study 3, erythrocyte Na-K ATPase activity and
serum vanadium concentrations were estimated in 58 patients. There was a
strong negative correlation between the two, supporting the suggestion that
changes in tissue vanadium concentration may explain the changes in sodium
transport which occur in depressive psychosis.