CSF levels of neurotransmitters in Alzheimer-type dementia. Effects of ergoloid mesylate.

– The cerebrospinal fluid level of homovanilic acid (HVA), 5 hydroxyindolacetic acid (5HIAA) and 3 methoxy-4-hydroxy phenylglycol (MHPG) was determined twice at 12 to 15-day intervals in 23 patients with Alzheimer-type dementia (ATD). No correlation was found with the degree of dementia as assessed by psychometric testing. In most of the patients, the CSF levels of 5HIAA, MHPG and to a lesser extent HVA were found to be rather stable within a period of 2 weeks. The observation of a decrease in the concentration of HVA but not of 5HIAA or MHPG in 10 out of 12 patients treated with ergoloid mesylate may therefore be of interest in elucidating the mechanism of action of this drug in ATD.