title: Acetylcholine and choline in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Parkinson's disease and Huntington's chorea.
abstract: Lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) acetylcholine (ACh) and choline (Ch) levels were measured in patients with Huntington's chorea (N=11), Parkinson's disease (N=8), and subjects at risk for Huntington's chorea (N=4), and all three groups were found not to differ significantly from normal controls (N=10). The values found for lumbar CSF ACh and Ch levels in the normal subjects were comparable with previously reported values. The use of physostigmine, a cholinesterase inhibitor, in collecting the CSF samples did not appear to make a difference with regard to ACh and Ch concentrations. Evidence suggesting a ventricular-lumbar gradient, with lumbar CSF Ch concentration being less than ventricular CSF Ch concentration, was found. Finally, ACh levels in CSF did not correlate with corresponding Ch levels.
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002794:Choline / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D002794:Choline; D000109:Acetylcholine