Plasma homovanillic acid in adolescents with bulimia nervosa

Castro-Fornieles, Josefina; Deulofeu, Ramón; Martínez-Mallen, Esteve; Baeza, Immaculada; Fernández, Lorena; Lázaro, Luisa; Toro, Josep; Vila, Montserrat; Bernardo, Miquel

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2008.06.046

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Volume 170, Issue 2 , Pages 241-244, 30 December 2009

Plasma homovanillic acid in adolescents with bulimia nervosa

Josefina Castro-Fornieles
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic Universitari, Biomedical Research Center in Mental Health Network, CIBERSAM Barcelona, Spain
- IDIBAPS (Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychobiology, Health Sciences Division, University of Barcelona, Spain
- Corresponding author. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clínic Universitari, Villarroel 170, Barcelona 08036, Spain. Tel./fax: +34 93 2279974.
Ramón Deulofeu
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Center of Biological Diagnosis, Hospital Clínic Universitari of Barcelona, Spain
- IDIBAPS (Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer), Barcelona, Spain
Esteve Martínez-Mallen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic Universitari, Biomedical Research Center in Mental Health Network, CIBERSAM Barcelona, Spain
Immaculada Baeza
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic Universitari, Biomedical Research Center in Mental Health Network, CIBERSAM Barcelona, Spain
Lorena Fernández
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic Universitari, Biomedical Research Center in Mental Health Network, CIBERSAM Barcelona, Spain
Luisa Lázaro
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic Universitari, Biomedical Research Center in Mental Health Network, CIBERSAM Barcelona, Spain
- IDIBAPS (Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer), Barcelona, Spain
Josep Toro
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic Universitari, Biomedical Research Center in Mental Health Network, CIBERSAM Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychobiology, Health Sciences Division, University of Barcelona, Spain
Montserrat Vila
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic Universitari, Biomedical Research Center in Mental Health Network, CIBERSAM Barcelona, Spain
Miquel Bernardo
- Psychiatry Department, Institute of Neurosciences, Hospital Clínic Universitari, Biomedical Research Center in Mental Health Network, CIBERSAM Barcelona, Spain
- IDIBAPS (Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychobiology, Health Sciences Division, University of Barcelona, Spain

Received 10 July 2007; received in revised form 1 October 2007; accepted 12 June 2008.

Abstract

Dopaminergic abnormalities in bulimia nervosa have been reported in some studies, but results are not consistent across studies. In the present study, clinical characteristics, plasma level of homovanillic acid (pHVA) and two scales – the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) – were assessed in 36 adolescent bulimia nervosa patients (mean age16.3 years, S.D. 1.1) who were consecutively seen on an Eating Disorder Unit. Levels of pHVA were also measured in 16 healthy control adolescents from the general population. Patients had significantly higher mean pHVA than controls. Eighteen patients (50%) had a pHVA level equal to or higher than the mean of control subjects plus one standard deviation, and this group of patients had significantly higher mean BDI scores and non-significantly higher mean EAT scores, although they did not differ from the other patients in age, time elapsed since the onset of disorder, body mass index and number of binges or vomits. Moreover, in logistic regression analysis the BDI score proved to be an independent predictor of high pHVA. The level of pHVA is increased in bulimia nervosa patients with high scores on measures of depressive and eating symptomatology.

Keywords: Bulimia nervosa, Adolescents, Homovanillic acid, pHVA, Dopamine