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Summary Forskolin is a unique activator of adenylate cyclase that bypasses membrane receptors and directly raises levels of the second messenger cyclic AMP. Depressed patients and schizophrenic patients with negative symptoms have been reported to have reduced cyclic AMP levels. In the first study of forskolin in psychiatry, we gave iv forskolin in a 75 minute infusion to four depressed and five schizophrenic patients. All four depressed patients showed a transient mood elevation or stimulation, as did two of the five schizophrenic patients.

Summary CSF inositol was reported to be reduced in depression and inositol has been reported to be effective in treatment of depression. We studied CSF inositol in 18 drug-free depressed patients and 36 normal controls; the depressed patients then participated in an open trial of 18 gm daily inositol treatment for 4 weeks. There was no difference in pre-treatment CSF inositol between depressed patients and controls. CSF inositol levels did not predict response on the Hamilton Depression Scale to 4 weeks of inositol treatment.