Indoleamine concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid from patients with Alzheimer type and Binswanger type dementias before and after administration of citalopram, a synthetic serotonin uptake inhibitor.
We studied changes in the concentrations of serotonin (5-HT), kynurenine, and other indoleamines in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer type dementia (ATD) and those with Binswanger type vascular dementia (VDBT), and changes in these indoleamine concentrations 2 weeks after administration of citalopram, a 5-HT uptake inhibitor. The concentrations of total 5-HT (p < 0.005) and kynurenine (p < 0.005) were significantly decreased in ATD patients in comparison to those of the controls. After citalopram administration, there was a remarkable increase in 5-HT concentration (249%, p < 0.0001) and a significant decrease in 5-HIAA concentration (22%, p < 0.02). In the VDBT patients, only 5-HT showed a significant decrease (p < 0.005) in comparison to the control values. It also increased significantly (214%) after citalopram administration. The 5-HT/tryptophan and kynurenine/tryptophan ratios were not correlated for the controls, but did significantly for the ATD and VDBT patients; after citalopram treatment, the increase in 5-HT/tryptophan was correlated significantly with that of kynurenine/tryptophan for ATD, but not for VDBT. These results suggest that both the serotonin and kynurenine pathways are impaired in ATD; whereas, the serotonin pathway alone is in VDBT, and that these impairments are ameliorated by the administration of citalopram.
Department of Neurology, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan.
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H
Tohgi
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T
Abe
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S
Takahashi
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Saheki
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Kimura
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000523:psychology; D015283:Citalopram / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D007737:Kynurenine / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D012701:Serotonin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*
D015283:Citalopram; D007211:Indoles; D007737:Kynurenine; D012701:Serotonin; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors