Regional Distribution of Monoamines and Their Metabolites in the Human Brain

Abstract— Noradrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA). 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT), 4‐hydroxy, 3‐methoxy‐phenylethylene glycol (MHPG), homovanillic acid (HVA), 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and 5‐hydroxyindolylacetic acid (5‐HIAA) were measured in twenty areas of post‐mortem brain from ten psychiatrically and neurologically normal patients. There was a marked difference, which did not appear to be related to sex, medication, cause of death or time between death and dissection, in amine and metabolite concentrations between brains. In the cortex, 5‐HT, MHPG, HVA. DOPAC and S‐HIAA were approximately even in their distribution; NA and DA could not be detected. In sub‐cortical areas there were clear differences in the distribution of the three amines accompanied by less marked differences in the distribution of their respective metabolites.