title: Increased cerebrospinal fluid dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid levels in Huntington's disease: evidence for an overactive dopaminergic brain transmission.
abstract: Levels of dopamine (DA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), noradrenaline (NA), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the CSF of patients with Huntington's disease (HD) were measured by HPLC. CSF DA, DOPAC, and MHPG levels were found to be increased in HD patients. Levels of HVA, 5-HIAA, and NA in the CSF of HD patients did not differ from those of controls. Changes in CSF DA and DOPAC levels were consistent with previous findings of increased DA tissue content in some brain areas of patients with HD. These results suggest that CSF DOPAC levels could be a more reliable index of overactive dopaminergic brain systems in HD than CSF HVA levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Garrett
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Soares-da-Silva
mesh_terms: D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D000328:Adult; D001679:Biogenic Amines / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission
chemical_list: D001679:Biogenic Amines; D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid; D004298:Dopamine