title: Cerebrospinal fluid beta-endorphin in Rett syndrome.
abstract: An hypothesis of increased endorphinergic activity has been proposed to account for the characteristic symptoms of Rett syndrome. Cerebrospinal fluid samples from eight girls with Rett syndrome were analysed for beta-endorphin (beta-EP) immunoactivity and compared with samples from a control group of 15 children with acute leukaemia in remission. Severity of symptoms was not found to be related to beta-EP level. A group of early-treated adolescents with phenylketonuria had beta-EP levels similar to the Rett syndrome patients, but no symptoms resembling theirs. Therefore it is unlikely that increased levels of beta-EP are of primary pathogenetic significance. The conflicting findings of many earlier reports may be a result of differences between control groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropaediatrics, John F. Kennedy Institute, Glostrup, Denmark.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Bach
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Buchholt
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lou
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010661:Phenylketonurias / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D012016:Reference Values; D015518:Rett Syndrome / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*
chemical_list: D001615:beta-Endorphin