Skip to main content
PMC home page
Gut logoLink to Gut
. 1980 Jul;21(7):565–569. doi: 10.1136/gut.21.7.565

Changes in brain catecholamine levels in human cirrhotic hepatic encephalopathy.

G Cuilleret, G Pomier-Layrargues, F Pons, J Cadilhac, H Michel
PMCID: PMC1419880  PMID: 6776015

Abstract

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is currently felt to be secondary to a disturbance in the metabolism of cerebral catecholamines with a decline in dopamine and noradrenaline and a rise in the false neurotransmitter octopamine. The aim of this study was to evaluate brain tissue levels of dopamine, noradrenaline, and octopamine in patients with cirrhosis and HE. This study includes 34 patients: 22 were cirrhotic, 12 were control subjects. Among the 22 cirrhotic patients, 19 had HE, three did not. Tissue specimens were obtained at necropsy from the locus niger, caudate nucleus, hypothalamus, thalamus and frontal cortex, and from the frontal cortex during neurosurgical procedures. Our results showed that (1) dopamine and noradrenaline levels are identical in cirrhotic patients with or without HE and in patients without liver disease (P < 0.05); (2) octopamine levels are higher in control subjects than in patients with cirrhosis and HE. In conclusion, there is no decline in dopamine and noradrenaline levels in the brain tissues of cirrhotic patients with HE, and this is in contradication with the animal findings; octopamine levels are not raised. Hepatic encephalopathy in human liver cirrhosis does not seem to be secondary to a disturbance in cerebral catecholamines.

Full text

PDF
566

Selected References

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

  1. Axelrod J., Weinshilboum R. Catecholamines. N Engl J Med. 1972 Aug 3;287(5):237–242. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197208032870508. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BERTLER A., CARLSSON A., ROSENGREN E. A method for the fluorimetric determination of adrenaline and noradrenaline in tissues. Acta Physiol Scand. 1958 Dec 15;44(3-4):273–292. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1958.tb01627.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bloch P., Delorme M. L., Rapin J. R., Granger A., Boschat M., Opolon P. Reversible modifications of neurotransmitters of the brain in experimental acute hepatic coma. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1978 Apr;146(4):551–558. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. CARLSSON A., WALDECK B. A fluorimetric method for the determination of dopamine (3-hydroxytyramine). Acta Physiol Scand. 1958 Dec 15;44(3-4):293–298. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-1716.1958.tb01628.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Carlsson A., Winblad B. Influence of age and time interval between death and autopsy on dopamine and 3-methoxytyramine levels in human basal ganglia. J Neural Transm. 1976;38(3-4):271–276. doi: 10.1007/BF01249444. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dodsworth J. M., James J. H., Cummings M. C., Fischer J. F. Depletion of brain norepinephrine in acute hepatic coma. Surgery. 1974 Jun;75(6):811–820. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fahn S., Côté L. J. Stability of enzymes in post-mortem rat brain. J Neurochem. 1976 May;26(5):1039–1042. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1976.tb06490.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fischer J. E., Baldessarini R. J. False neurotransmitters and hepatic failure. Lancet. 1971 Jul 10;2(7715):75–80. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(71)92048-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lal S., Aronoff A., Garelis E., Sourkes T. L., Young S. N., de la Vega C. E. Cerebrospinal fluid homovanillic acid, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, lactic acid, and pH before and after probenecid in hepatic coma. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 1975 Dec;77(2):142–152. doi: 10.1016/s0303-8467(74)80006-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Michel H., Solere M., Granier P., Cauvet G., Bali J. P., Pons F., Bellet-Hermann H. Treatment of cirrhotic hepatic encephalopathy with L-dopa. A controlled trial. Gastroenterology. 1980 Aug;79(2):207–211. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Molinoff P. B., Landsberg L., Axelrod J. An enzymatic assay for octopamine and other beta-hydroxylated phenylethylamines. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1969 Dec;170(2):253–261. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Wiesel F. A., Sedvall G. Post-mortal changes of dopamine and homovanillic acid levels in rat striatum as measured by mass fragmentography. Brain Res. 1974 Jan 18;65(3):547–550. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(74)90247-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Zieve L., Olsen R. L. Can hepatic coma be caused by a reduction of brain noradrenaline or dopamine? Gut. 1977 Sep;18(9):688–691. doi: 10.1136/gut.18.9.688. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Gut are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES