Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry logoLink to Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
. 1987 Oct;50(10):1294–1297. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.50.10.1294

Beta-endorphin, somatostatin, and prolactin levels in cerebrospinal fluid of epileptic patients after generalised convulsion.

A Pitkänen 1, J Jolkkonen 1, P Riekkinen 1
PMCID: PMC1032453  PMID: 2890716

Abstract

The possible role of different peptidergic systems in the postictal stage of human epilepsy was studied by measuring beta-endorphin, somatostatin, and prolactin levels by radioimmunoassay of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from nine epileptic patients. The first sample was taken within 2 hours after generalised tonic-clonic convulsion, and the second sample was obtained interictally after 1-4 days without any kind of clinically observable seizures. beta-endorphin was elevated postictally (p = 0.044) compared with interictal levels. SLI and PROL were similar in both samples. The present study suggests that in humans beta-endorphin is released into CSF during generalised seizures. This may indicate that neurons containing beta-endorphin are activated during a seizure.

Full text

PDF
1294

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Engel J., Jr, Brown W. J., Kuhl D. E., Phelps M. E., Mazziotta J. C., Crandall P. H. Pathological findings underlying focal temporal lobe hypometabolism in partial epilepsy. Ann Neurol. 1982 Dec;12(6):518–528. doi: 10.1002/ana.410120604. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Feldman W. H. Leiomyosarcoma of the Spleen in a Bovine. Am J Pathol. 1928 Mar;4(2):139–144.7. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Henriksen S. J., Bloom F. E., McCoy F., Ling N., Guillemin R. beta-Endorphin induces nonconvulsive limbic seizures. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Oct;75(10):5221–5225. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.10.5221. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Higuchi T., Sikand G. S., Kato N., Wada J. A., Friesen H. G. Profound suppression of kindled seizures by cysteamine: possible role of somatostatin to kindled seizures. Brain Res. 1983 Dec 12;288(1-2):359–362. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(83)90118-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Iadarola M. J., Shin C., McNamara J. O., Yang H. Y. Changes in dynorphin, enkephalin and cholecystokinin content of hippocampus and substantia nigra after amygdala kindling. Brain Res. 1986 Feb 12;365(1):185–191. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(86)90738-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Ioffe S., Havlicek V., Friesen H., Chernick V. Effect of somatostatin (SRIF) and L-glutamate on neurons of the sensorimotor cortex in awake habituated rabbits. Brain Res. 1978 Sep 22;153(2):414–418. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(78)90425-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Jolkkonen J. T., Soininen H. S., Riekkinen P. J. beta-Endorphin-like immunoreactivity in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. J Neurol Sci. 1987 Feb;77(2-3):153–159. doi: 10.1016/0022-510x(87)90118-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kato N., Higuchi T., Friesen H. G., Wada J. A. Changes of immunoreactive somatostatin and beta-endorphin content in rat brain after amygdaloid kindling. Life Sci. 1983 May 23;32(21):2415–2422. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(83)90366-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Laxer K. D., Mullooly J. P., Howell B. Prolactin changes after seizures classified by EEG monitoring. Neurology. 1985 Jan;35(1):31–35. doi: 10.1212/wnl.35.1.31. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Meencke H. J., Janz D. Neuropathological findings in primary generalized epilepsy: a study of eight cases. Epilepsia. 1984 Feb;25(1):8–21. doi: 10.1111/j.1528-1157.1984.tb04149.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Pitkänen A., Jolkkonen J., Honkanen K. L., Riekkinen P. Effect of pentylenetetrazol-induced convulsions on somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in rat cerebrospinal fluid. Neuropeptides. 1987 Jan;9(1):19–24. doi: 10.1016/0143-4179(87)90027-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Pittman Q. J., Siggins G. R. Somatostatin hyperpolarizes hippocampal pyramidal cells in vitro. Brain Res. 1981 Sep 28;221(2):402–408. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(81)90791-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Rezek M., Havlicek V., Hughes K. R., Friesen H. Behavioural and motor excitation and inhibition induced by the administration of small and large doses of somatostatin into the amygdala. Neuropharmacology. 1977 Mar;16(3):157–162. doi: 10.1016/0028-3908(77)90090-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rolandi E., Perria C., Franceschini R., Siani C., Messina V., Francaviglia N., Barreca T. Variations of prolactin content in human cerebrospinal fluid after metoclopramide and morphine. Life Sci. 1985 Mar 4;36(9):901–905. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(85)90214-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Soininen H. S., Jolkkonen J. T., Reinikainen K. J., Halonen T. O., Riekkinen P. J. Reduced cholinesterase activity and somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type. J Neurol Sci. 1984 Feb;63(2):167–172. doi: 10.1016/0022-510x(84)90193-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES