Cerebrospinal fluid quinolinic acid concentrations are increased in acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Dementia and brain atrophy are established features of a large proportion of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). To investigate a potential mechanism for atrophy in AIDS, we measured the concentration of the endogenous neurotoxin quinolinic acid in the cerebrospinal fluid of 10 patients with AIDS and found that they had 3-fold higher quinolinic acid concentrations than 9 age-matched control subjects: 53.8 +/- 10.7 pmol/ml versus 18.4 +/- 3.4 pmol/ml, respectively (p less than 0.005). It remains to be determined whether increased brain quinolinic acid concentrations are involved in the pathogenesis of the neuropathology of AIDS.
Heyes
M P
MP
Laboratory of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Rubinow
D
D
Lane
C
C
Markey
S P
SP
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011725:Pyridines / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D017378:Quinolinic Acid; D011805:Quinolinic Acids / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000378:metabolism*
D011725:Pyridines; D011805:Quinolinic Acids; D014364:Tryptophan; D017378:Quinolinic Acid