Putative amino acid transmitters in lumbar cerebrospinal fluid of patients with histologically verified Alzheimer's dementia

Abstract

Concentrations of individual free amino acids were determined in lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with various complaints including histologically verified Alzheimer's dementia. Glycine and glutamine in the CSF of Alzheimer's dementia samples were lower than that of control samples. Only the concentration of glutamic acid in Alzheimer's dementia patients correlated with psychological measures. The reduction in glycine concentration was not specific for Alzheimer's dementia.