The postmortem levels of biogenic amines in CSF may provide clues to some pathological conditions, yet little is known about the occurrence of trace amines in postmortem CSF. The current study examined the CSF from 2 groups of subjects: 1 group consisted of 20 subjects who died from a cardiovascular pathology, thromboembolism, broncopneumonia, or politrauma and the second group consisted of 20 living subjects who were hospitalized between January 2003 and December 2003. In particular, the authors explored for the presence of tyramine, octopamine, and synephrine in the CSF. Results showed a dramatic increase of trace amines in the postmortem CSF, particularly tyramine. The findings suggest that tyramine may be a new tool for determining the time of death. Figure, references