title: Concentrations of homovanillic acid and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in cerebrospinal fluid from human infants in the perinatal period.
abstract: To assess maturation of central serotonin and catecholamine pathways at birth, we measured lumbar CSF homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), stable acid metabolites of dopamine and serotonin, using HPLC with electrochemical detection. CSFs from 57 neonates (38 premature and 19 at term) and 13 infants 1-6 months old were studied. HVA levels increased with maturity (p less than 0.05; ANOVA), whereas 5-HIAA levels were similar in all these subjects. HVA/5-HIAA ratios increased markedly from 1 +/- 0.12 in the most premature neonates to 1.98 +/- 0.17 in the older infants (p less than 0.01; t test). There were no sex differences for these values.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D006801:Humans; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D010648:Phenylacetates / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D010648:Phenylacetates; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D006719:Homovanillic Acid