title: Inhibitory and excitatory amino acids in cerebrospinal fluid of chronic epileptic patients.
abstract: We studied the levels of excitatory and inhibitory amino acids in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 28 epileptic patients (24 with partial type seizures, 4 with primary generalized seizures) and 12 controls. The levels of aspartate were 63% (p less than 0.01), glutamine 129% (p less than 0.001), and homocarnosine 127% (p less than 0.005) that of controls. The concentrations of glutamate, asparagine, total GABA, free GABA, taurine, and glycine did not differ between epileptic patients and controls. Patients with partial epilepsy had a pattern of amino acids in CSF similar to that in patients with primary generalized seizures. In the present study we did not observe increased excitation or decreased inhibition in the seizure-active brains of epileptics, as far as the CSF levels of amino acids reflect their levels in the brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pitkänen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Matilainen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Halonen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kutvonen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hartikainen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Riekkinen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D002336:Carnosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D005260:Female; D005973:Glutamine / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D004151:Dipeptides; D005973:Glutamine; D001224:Aspartic Acid; C005038:homocarnosine; D002336:Carnosine