J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 1995; 7:6-14
Copyright © 1995 by American Neuropsychiatric Association
Phenylethylamine modulation of affect: therapeutic and diagnostic implications
HC Sabelli and JI Javaid
Department of Psychiatry, Rush Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
A review of the literature indicates that brain phenylethylamine (PEA) may
be a neuromodulator of aminergic synapses and that it promotes energy,
elevates mood, and favors aggression. Phenylacetic acid, the main
metabolite of PEA, is decreased in the biological fluids of depressed
subjects and schizophrenic subjects and is increased in schizoaffective
subjects. The administration of PEA or of its precursor L-phenylalanine
improves mood in depressed patients treated with a selective monoamine
oxidase B inhibitor. The authors speculate that studies of PEA metabolism
may have diagnostic value and that PEA administration may be therapeutic in
selected depressed patients.
