title: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and homocysteine levels in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is evidence that homocysteine contributes to various neurodegenerative disorders.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the values of homocysteine in patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in both cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  Case control study. Total homocysteine was quantified in CSF and plasma samples of CJD patients (n=13) and healthy controls (n=13).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean values in healthy controls: 0.15 micromol/l +/- 0.07 (CSF) and 9.10 micromol/l +/- 2.99 (plasma); mean values in CJD patients: 0.13 micromol/l +/- 0.03 (CSF) and 9.22 micromol/l +/- 1.81 (plasma). No significant differences between CJD patients and controls were observed (Mann-Whitney U, p >0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that the CSF and plasma of CJD patients showed no higher endogenous levels of homocysteine as compared to normal healthy controls. These findings provide no evidence for an additional role of homocysteine in the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying CJD neurodegeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bleich
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Otto
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zerr
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kropp
authors.forename: Hans A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Kretzschmar
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wiltfang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D007562:Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine