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Observations on Urinary Indoles

F. CURTIS DOHAN, MD; JOHN DURKIN, MD; ALAN KULICK, MD; MARCUS P. ROSENBLUM, MD; DAVID L. BACHRACH., EdD; JOSEPH GRASBERGER, MD; FRANK B. LYNCH, JR., MD; HERBERT SPRINCE., PhD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1963;9(5):520-523.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

The possibility that absorption of indolic or other "toxic metabolites" of intestinal bacteria may play a role in the pathogenesis of mental illness has been considered and denied off and on for over 50 years.¹ Some support for further exploration of this possibility is afforded by the marked improvement in psychiatric symptoms of patients with severe liver failure associated with oral administration of neomycin² or "exclusion" of the colon.³ As far as we are aware there are no reports of the effect on the symptoms of schizophrenia of decreasing the metabolic activity of intestinal bacteria with oral antibiotics. This paper reports the lack of symptomatic improvement in relapsed and chronic male schizophrenics during neomycin and phthalylsulfathiazole therapy, as well as observations on the urinary excretion of indoleacetic acid and other indoles before and during antibiotic therapy.

Methods

Seven male patients (aged . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
PHILADELPHIA

Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (Dr. Dohan), Staff Physician, Acute (IT) Service, Veterans Administration Hospital (Dr. Durkin), Assistant Chief, Acute (IT) Service, Veterans Administration Hospital (Dr. Kulick), Chief of Staff, Veterans Administration Hospital (Dr. Rosenblum), Research Clinical Psychologist, Veterans Administration Hospital (Dr. Bachrach), Associate in Psychiatry, Hahnemann Medical College (Dr. Grasberger), Chief, Laboratory Service, Veterans Administration Hospital (Dr. Lynch), Chief Research Biochemist, Veterans Administration Hospital (Dr. Sprince).

Footnotes
Submitted for publication June 18, 1963.

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