title: Folate deficiency, anticonvulsant drugs, and psychiatric morbidity.
abstract: The folic acid (FOA) level was determined in serum and erythrocytes in 100 epileptic patients and 100 control patients using a luminescence assay. A lowered FOA concentration in serum, erythrocytes, or both was observed in 15% of the epileptic patients and in 2% of the control group. In the epileptic patients, the FOA in the serum and in the erythrocytes was significantly lower than that in the control group. Patients receiving carbamazepine monotherapy had a significantly lower FOA level in the erythrocytes than did patients receiving phenytoin monotherapy. The FOA level showed a negative correlation to the duration of epilepsy. None of the patients with lowered FOA had a normal mental status. The course of the supplementation treatment with 5 mg folinic acid (or FOA) of four patients with FOA deficiency could be monitored psychopathometrically. All four patients showed an improvement in their well-being and the majority of measured variables of the cognitive performance.
authors.affiliation: Neurologische Abteilung des Psychiatrischen Landeskrankenhauses Weissenau (Abt. Psychiatrie I der Universität Ulm), Ravensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fröscher
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laage
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolfersdorf
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Straub
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rothmeier
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Steinert
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fiaux
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grupp
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood; D005494:Folic Acid Deficiency / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000097:blood; D011594:Psychometrics; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D005492:Folic Acid