CSF 5-HIAA as a Predictor of Treatment Response in Trichotillomania

    January 1992 in “ PubMed ”
    Philip T. Ninan, Barbara O. Rothbaum, Mark Stipetic, Richard Lewine, S. Craig Risch
    TLDR Higher CSF 5-HIAA levels may predict better response to serotonin re-uptake inhibitors in trichotillomania.
    In a preliminary study from 1992, researchers investigated the role of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) as a predictor of treatment response in trichotillomania, a condition characterized by chronic hair-pulling. The study involved 8 medication-free female patients with trichotillomania and matched normal controls. No differences were found between the groups in CSF measures of cortisol, 5-HIAA, homovanillic acid (HVA), and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG). However, a significant correlation was observed between baseline CSF 5-HIAA levels and the degree of response to treatment with serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, suggesting that central serotonin turnover was specifically relevant to treatment response in trichotillomania.
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