NEUROSTEROIDS IN CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID IN NEUROLOGIC DISORDERS

In order to investigate the role of ''neurosteroids'' in the central n ervous system (CNS), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of dehydroepiand rosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) were deter mined by radioimmunoassay in 57 patients with various neurologic disor ders and 26 patients with non-neurologic disorders. The content of CSF DHEA and DHEAS in patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), and th e content of CSF DHEAS in patients with carcinomatous meningitis were significantly higher as compared to non-neurological control patients. These changes may be explained by the breakdown of blood-nerve barrie r in these disorders. A significant positive correlation was observed between DHEAS and total protein in CSF. In males but not females, a ne gative correlation was observed between CSF DHEAS and aging. The level of CSF DHEAS, but not DHEA, was significantly higher in males than in females.