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Amino acid abnormalities in epileptogenic foci

Department of Pharmacology, University of British Columbia, Canada.

we compared amino acid contents of 54 epileptogenic foci removed neurosurgically from temporal or frontal cortex of 35 patients with focal epilepsy with those of biopsies from the same cortical regions of 14 nonepileptic patients. Neither taurine nor GABA content was reduced in epileptogenic foci. Glycine content was elevated markedly in some foci, whereas aspartic acid content was normal. Mean glutamic acid content was significantly higher in epileptogenic foci than in control cortex, and six foci contained amounts of glutamate more than 2 SD above the control mean. Our findings do not support hypotheses that deficiencies of taurine or GARA are involved in the pathogenesis of focal epilepsy but do suggest a possible etiologic role for the excitatory neurotransmitter, glutamic acid.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Perry, Department of Pharmacology, University or British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada V6T 1W5.

This study was supported by the Medical Research Council of Canada.

Accepted for publication September 24. 1980.

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