Serum and cerebrospinal fluid excitatory amino acid, nitric oxide and cerebrospinal fluid malondialdehyde levels in West syndrome

Abstract

West syndrome (WS) is an epileptic syndrome of early childhood. There have been a limited numbers of studies of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) excitatory amino acid (EAA), nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, as well as plasma levels of EAA, and NO, in WS. In this article, CSF EAA, NO, and MDA levels and plasma EAA, NO status, and a determination of the effects of antiepileptic drug therapy on these values were investigated in children with WS. Evaluation of CSF and serum EAA, NO, and MDA levels and of serum EAA and NO levels after 3 mo of antiepileptic drug therapy revealed a statistically significant decrease in CSF aspartate, glutamate, NO and MDA levels. In conclusion, the decrease in CSF MDA levels in this study is the result of both the decrease in glutamate activity and neuronal damage after controlling seizures with antiepileptic drugs.