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A Clinical Method for Testing Abnormal in vitro Haemolysis from Catecholamine Metabolites in Schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Zoltan L. Hegedus
Affiliation:
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. 02115, U.S.A.
Mark D. Altschule
Affiliation:
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. 02115, U.S.A.
Ullhas Nayak
Affiliation:
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. 02115, U.S.A.

Extract

Earlier work from this laboratory showed that rheomelanins (blood soluble melanins) form in normal and schizophrenic blood incubated with the catecholamines, with l-dopa, with adrenochrome and with adrenolutin-monohydrate (Hegedus and Altschule (1–4)). This work also showed that the erythrocytes of many patients with a diagnosis of chronic schizophrenia are abnormally susceptible to the haemolytic effects of the rheomelanins or their precursors, formed in their bloods during incubation with most of these chemicals (Hegedus and Altschule (2, 4)). Erythrocytes of the chronic patients showed especially marked haemolysis during incubation of their oxalated blood with adrenochrome, with adrenolutin-monohydrate and with dopamine. A test for routine use was developed on the basis of this phenomenon, and is reported in this paper. The conditions of this routine test were determined as regards quantity of chemicals, time and temperature of incubation, and rate of shaking during incubation so as to give maximum differences between normal and schizophrenic bloods.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1972 

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References

1. Hegedus, Z. L., and Altschule, M. D. (1970). “Studies on aminochromes: IV. Hemolysis associated with the transformation of 1-epinephrine, adrenochrome and adrenolutin into rheomelanins in human whole blood.” Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de ThéArapie, 186, 3947.Google Scholar
2. Hegedus, Z. L., and Altschule, M. D., (1970). “Studies on aminochromes: V. Excessive hemolysis associated with the formation of rheomelanins during incubation of adrenochrome and adrenolutin in the bloods of chronic schizophrenic patients.” Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de ThéArapie, 186, 4853.Google Scholar
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