Levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid in cerebrospinal fluid in various neurologic disorders
N. V. Manyam, L. Katz, T. A. Hare, J. C. Gerber 3rd and M. H. Grossman
Levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in CSF were measured by the ion
exchange-fluorometric method in 136 patients who underwent evaluation for
neurologic disorders. In 19 patients with no organic neurologic or mental
disorders who acted as normal controls, the mean (+/-SD) GABA level in CSF
was 239 +/- 76 picomoles/mL. Patients with acute hypoxic encephalopathy
showed a mean GABA level in CSF higher than that of the controls, a
difference that was statistically significant. In all the other disorders
studied, the mean GABA level in CSF was either equal to or lower than that
found in the controls. Statistically significant reductions of the GABA
level in CSF were seen in patients with Huntington's disease, dementias,
cerebellar cortical atrophy, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and Parkinson's
disease.
