Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid amino acids in epileptic patients.
Altered plasma and cerebrospinal fluid amino acid levels may be associated with human epilepsy. We studied three groups of patients, those with a generalized epileptic syndrome, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, patients with refractory localization-related epilepsies, and patients with acute seizures (within 24 h). Plasma levels of amino acids were studied in all patient groups, as were those in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with acute seizures. After acute seizures, the amino acid changes in the CSF were limited to a reduction in the level of taurine, whereas the levels of most amino acids in plasma were decreased. On the other hand, levels of the excitatory amino acids glutamate and aspartate were increased. The most notable finding in the juvenile myoclonic epilepsy patients was an increase in glutamate level in the plasma. Our study supports the conception of an altered metabolism of glutamate in generalized epilepsies.
Brain Research Center, Medical School, University of Tampere, Finland. sirpa.rainesalo@pshp.fi
Sirpa
S
Rainesalo
Tapani
T
Keränen
Johanna
J
Palmio
Jukka
J
Peltola
Simo S
SS
Oja
Pirjo
P
Saransaari
D000328:Adult; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D000596:Amino Acids