Status of cholinesterase activities in blood in neuropsychiatric disorders.

The availability of easily accessible biochemical trait markers of central cholinergic activity would assist in the identification of homogeneous subgroups of neuropsychiatric patients within specific diagnostic categories. In addition to a refinement of nosology, these measures could also help to design specific treatment interventions. The activities of cholinesterase isoenzymes in blood have been reported to be abnormal in neuropsychiatric disorders with proven or hypothesized abnormalities of central cholinergic transmission. However, the relevance of these peripheral cholinesterase abnormalities to disordered central cholinergic transmission remains uncertain. Future studies examining specific cholinesterase isoenzymes in homogeneous diagnostic groups are needed to determine the potential utility of these measures as peripheral trait markers of central cholinergic activity.