Reduced Plasma Dopamine-β-Hydroxylase Activity Is Associated With the Severity of Bipolar Disorder: A Pilot Study

Frontiers in Psychiatry

Xin Ma¹  Zuoli Sun¹  Fan He¹  Chuanyue Wang¹  Zhen Mao¹  Yi He¹  Qijing Bo¹  Feng Li¹  Christine Pao²  Wenbiao Li³ 

[1] Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China;Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States;The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders and Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders Center of Schizophrenia, Beijing Anding Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China;

关键词: dopamine-β-hydroxylase;    bipolar disorder;    major depressive disorder;    mood disorder;    cognitive function;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyt.2021.566091

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DβH) is an enzyme converting dopamine to norepinephrine, a key neurotransmitter in mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). Due to overlapping symptomology of unipolar and bipolar depression, the present study attempted to explorer if the plasma DβH activity could discriminate the depressive episodes of BD from MDD. The aim of this study was to compare the plasma DβH activity among MDD patients (n = 104), BD patients (n = 101), and healthy controls (n = 160). Clinical characteristics and cognitive function were assessed using the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Our data showed a lower plasma DβH activity in patients with BD, not MDD, than that in controls. For the BD patients, the plasma DβH activities were negatively correlated with HAM-D scores and HAM-A scores. However, there was no significant correlation between plasma DβH activity and severity of depressive symptoms in MDD patients. No significant correlation between DβH activities and cognitive assessments neither in BD nor in MDD patients. The present study provides evidence that BD is associated with decreased circulating DβH activity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown