BIOGENIC-AMINE METABOLITES IN THE CSF OF PATIENTS WITH LATE-ONSET AND ALCOHOLIC ATAXIAS

The levels of monoamine metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were measured in lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 10 patients with late onset ataxia, 8 patients with alcoholic ataxia and 18 control patients. The levels did not differ significantly among the three groups of patients suggesting that the central neuronal systems utilizing dopamine, noradrenaline and 5-hydroxytryptamine do not have a significant pathophysiological role in these forms of ataxias. The measurement of CSF amine metabolites probably does not contribute to the differential diagnosis of ataxias.