SERUM-CHOLINESTERASE IN OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER

Levels of serum cholinesterase (PsChe) were measured in 32 drug-free patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and 32 sex- and age-matched healthy normal volunteers. No significant differences between OCD patients and normal subjects were found in PsChe levels. A significant positive correlation between patients' PsChe levels and the severity of anxiety, as measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety, was found, in agreement with the hypothesis of a relationship between state anxiety and PsChe activity. In contrast to findings in other reports, PsChe levels significantly increased after 10 weeks of antiobsessional pharmacological treatment, underscoring the potential influence of drugs on PsChe activity. ZB 0 Z8 0 ZR 0 ZS 0