Cerebrospinal fluid levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in Parkinson ’s disease and atypical parkinsonian syndromes

Background: Various cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers are studied in Parkinson ’s disease (PD) and atypical parkinsonian syndromes (APS). Several studies found reduced 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), the main serotonin metabolite, in PD. There is little evidence regarding its levels in APS. Methods: We measured 5-HIAA in the CSF of 90 PD patients, 16 MSA patients, 26 pr ogressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patients, 11 corticobasal degeneration (CBD) patients, and 31 controls. We also compared the values in depressed and non-depressed patients. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in CSF 5-HIAA in PD and MSA compared to the control group (median in PD 15.8 µg/l, in MSA 13.6 µg/l vs. 24.3 µg/l in controls; P=0.0008 in PD, P=0.006 in MSA). There was no statistically significant difference in CSF 5-HIAA in PSP and CBD compared to the control group (median in PSP 22.7 µg/l, in CBD 18.7 µg/l vs. 24.3 µg/l in controls; P= 1 in both PSP and CBD). CSF 5-HIAA levels were lower in PD patients with depression compared to PD patients without depression (median 8.34 vs. 18.48, P
Source: Neurodegenerative Diseases - Category: Neurology Source Type: research