Integrity of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier in early Parkinson's disease

Dysfunction of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCB) has been implica ted in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurodegenera tive disorders. Therefore, we assayed serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) f rom 30 parkinsonian patients and 30 controls for concentrations of albumin and IgG. The CSF/serum ratio for albumin (AQ), IgG (GQ), IgG-index as well as determination of oligoclonal bands were used to evaluate BCB function an d to quantify humoral immune response within the central nervous system (CN S). Levels of AQ, GQ and IgG-index did not significantly differ in both gro ups. We found no dysfunction of the blood-CSF barrier or signs of local syn thesis of IgG in the central nervous system of parkinsonian patients. Our d ata do not support the hypothesis of a dysfunctional BCB that contributes t o pathophysiological mechanisms underlying PD. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ir eland Ltd. All rights reserved.