Platelet monoamine oxidase activity predicts alcohol sensitivity and voluntary alcohol intake in rhesus monkeys

Figures & data

Table I.  Description of behaviours registered after intravenous ethanol administration.

Behaviour	Definition
Fall	Animal loses balance and involuntarily drops to the floor
Hit wall	The animal's body hits the wall of the room
Sway	The body veers in any direction out of control
Stare threat	Intense staring with eyes wide open
Open mouth threat	Tense opening of the mouth forming an O
Aggression	Sum of: duration of Stare threat and Open mouth threat

Figure 1.  CSF 5-HIAA levels were lower in animals with low platelet MAO-B activity (t = −2.39, P < 0.05). Box plot with whiskers showing largest and smallest observation. The boxes represent the lower and the upper quartiles with the median value marked as a line within the boxes.

Figure 2.  A: Motoric intoxication scores were lower in monkeys with low platelet MAO-B activity than in monkeys with high platelet MAO-B activity (t = −2.10, P < 0.05). Reported as frequency. B: Monkeys with low platelet MAO-B activity showed more aggressive behaviour after alcohol infusion (t = 4.55, P < 0.001). Stare threats. C: Monkeys with low platelet MAO-B activity consumed more alcohol than monkeys with high MAO-B activity (t = 2.15, P < 0.05). Mean alcohol intake per day during the two-weeks period. Box plots with whiskers showing largest and smallest observation. The boxes represent the lower and the upper quartiles with the median value marked as a line within the boxes.