Studies on sodium transfer and 5-hydroxyindoles in depressive illness

Abstract

Coppen (1960) has claimed that the rate of transfer of "4Na from blood to cerebrospinal fluid was lower in patients with a depressive illness than in schizophrenic patients and that the rate of transfer returned to normal as the patients improved clinically. The present communication describes an investigation of this claim and compares the 24Na transfer rates in groups of patients with depressive illness and schizophrenia. Data on the levels of 5-hydroxyindoles in blood and cerebrospinal fluid of these patients are also presented.