Normal hypocretin-1 (orexin A) levels in cerebrospinal fluid in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
OBJECTIVE
Low levels of hypocretin-1 (HC-1) have been associated with hypersomnia, obesity, depression, and chronic headaches. These conditions are frequently present in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) and may be associated with abnormalities of the hypocretin system. The aim of this study was to determine HC-1 concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in a series of patients with IIH and to compare these concentrations with those in a control group with no neurological alterations.


METHODS
This prospective study included a cohort of 26 consecutive patients with IIH who were mostly women (25 vs. 1) with a mean age of 42.5 ± 13.2. CSF samples were obtained from a lumbar puncture performed between 08:00 and 10:00 a.m. HC-1 was determined by a competitive radioimmunoassay (RIA) using I(125) as the isotope. Samples of normal CSF were obtained during spinal anesthesia for urological, general or vascular surgery from 40 patients (10 women and 30 men with a mean age of 63.7 ± 14.8) with no previous neurological or psychiatric history, a normal neurological examination, and MMSE scores of ≥ 24.


RESULTS
No statistically significant differences were found between HC-1 levels in the CSF of patients with IIH (119.61 ± 21.63 pg/mL) and those of the control group (119.07 ± 20.30 pg/mL; p = 0.918).


CONCLUSIONS
HC-1 is not associated with the clinical symptoms present in patients with IIH.
Department of Neurosurgery, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. pocama@neurotrauma.net
Maria Antonia
MA
Poca
Rosa
R
Galard
Elena
E
Serrano
Mari Angels
MA
Merino
Patricia
P
Pozo-Rosich
Elisabeth
E
Solana
Olga
O
Mestres
Maria Dolores
MD
de la Calzada
Juan
J
Sahuquillo
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts / Q000379:methods; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D019586:Intracranial Hypertension / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D000068797:Orexins; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult
C000596229:HCRT protein, human; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D000068797:Orexins