Study on monoamine metabolite contents of cerebrospinal fluid in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.

Main monoamine metabolities of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), i.e., 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA), were measured in 74 patients with neurodegenerative diseases, in 30 normal control subjects and in 16 diseased control subjects without neurodegenerative diseases. The symptoms of patients were scored according to an original scale. It was suggested by statistical study including multiple regression analysis that there might be significant relationship between CSF-MHPG level and extrapyramidal symptoms, or autonomic symptoms, and between CSF-5-HIAA level and extrapyramidal, or cerebellar symptoms, and between CSF-HVA level and extrapyramidal, pyramidal, or cerebellar symptoms. It was also suggested that the severer the symptoms of patients with Parkinson's disease, Shy-Drager syndrome, or olivopontocerebellar atrophy became, the lower the levels of monoamine metabolities of CSF became. The activity of peripheral catecholamine metabolism might influence the CSF-MHPG level because of the significant positive correlations between CSF-MHPG level and urine noradrenaline or vanillylmandellic acid level. The level of MHPG was high in patients with severe amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or hereditary spinocerebellar degeneration possibly because of stress with respiratory dysfunction.