Cerebrospinal fluid GABA in normals and patients with affective disorders

Abstract Cerebrospinal fluid GABA was measured in 41 normal volunteers, 16 depressed and eight manic patients during a medication-free evaluation. CSF GABA was measured by modified cation-exchange chromatography. Mean CSF GABA in the normal volunteers was 231.8 ± 12.5 pmole / ml , nonsignificantly different from that in the depressed patients (209.1 ± 13.8) or manics (211.4 ± 21.7). In one rapidly cylcing patient values during his manic episodes were significantly higher than those during depressed periods ( p p