title: Cerebrospinal fluid total protein in patients with affective disorders.
abstract: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) total protein was evaluated in 240 patients with affective disorders and compared with findings in 55 normal comparison subjects. Subtype diagnoses were as follows: bipolar I (n = 108, 47 men, 61 women); bipolar type II (n = 67, 26 men, 41 women); and unipolar (n = 65, 22 men, 43 women). Men had significantly elevated values compared with women. In men with bipolar I disorder, mean CSF protein levels were found to be significantly elevated over those in normal subjects, with 31.9% above the traditional normal range cutoff of 45 mg/dl. Moreover, CSF protein levels in male bipolar I patients were found to be positively correlated with severity of depression at the time of the lumbar puncture and with duration of illness. It thus appears that increased protein levels may be associated with illness severity or progression in male patients with bipolar I disorder. Although elevated CSF protein is a nonspecific marker of cerebral pathology, further search for the potential underlying pathophysiological mechanisms related to this finding would now appear to be warranted.
authors.affiliation: Biological Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1390, USA.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Pazzaglia
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Post
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rubinow
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kling
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Huggins
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sunderland
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins