CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID CORTICOTROPIN-RELEASING HORMONE IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES - REDUCTION IN SPINOCEREBELLAR DEGENERATION

Levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were examined in patients with spinocerebellar degeneration (SC D) including olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA), dentato-rubropallido luysian atrophy (DRPLA) and Friedreich's ataxia, Parkinson's disease ( PD) and senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT), and normal aged subjects. CRH concentrations in CSF Here significantly reduced in SCD compared to SDAT PD and normal aged subjects. It is likely that degene ration not only of the cerebral cortex and the limbic system but also of the subcortical structures such as the brainstem and the cerebellum alters levels of CRH in CSF. Together with the recent anatomical and physiological evidence, the results suggest pathophysiological relevan ce of CRH for the cerebellar symptoms in SCD.