A New Concept and Further Support for the Importance and Occurrence of 3,4-Dimethoxyphenylethylamine (DMPEA) in Urine of Schizophrenic Patients

The paper discusses conflicting evidence on whether 3,4-dimethoxyphenylethylamine (DMPEA) in urine indicates schizophrenia. Because hallucinogens rapidly produce tolerance, the authors propose that any endogenously produced psychotoxins in schizophrenia must be generated at greatly varying rates to affect mental state over time. Their preliminary 10-day study of daily DMPEA excretion in schizophrenics shows altering excretion patterns, supporting this hypothesis and indicating the need for longer-term studies.

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Abstract

The biogenic formation of certain methylated derivatives of catecholamines and serotonin have been discussed in causal connection with schizophrenia. Positive and negative results by various research groups in detecting 3,4-dimethoxyphenylethylamine (DMPEA) in urine of schizophrenics have led to contradictory interpretations of the importance of DMPEA in urine as an indicator of schizophrenia. Based on the fact that most hallucinogens rapidly develop tolerance in man, we postulate that in schizophrenics endogenously formed psychotoxins must be produced at greatly altering rates in order to affect the mental state over a given period of time. Accordingly, there must be significant alterations in the excretion of endogenously formed psychotoxins or their metabolites in urine. Our first and preliminary investigations of the daily excretion of DMPEA in urine of schizophrenics over a 10-day period (horizontal study) clearly indicate the altering excretion patterns of DMPEA. These results support our hypothesis and demonstrate the necessity for further and more extensive studies of DMPEA excretion in urine of schizophrenics over a continuous period of 10–30 days.