BACKGROUND: Various cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers are studied in Parkinson's disease (PD) and atypical parkinsonian syndromes (APS). Several studies found reduced 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), the main serotonin metabolite, in PD. There is little evidence regarding its levels in APS. METHODS: We measured 5-HIAA in the CSF of 90 PD patients, 16 MSA patients, 26 progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patients, 11 corticobasal syndrome (CBS) patients, and 31 controls. We also compared the values in depressed and nondepressed patients. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in CSF 5-HIAA in PD and MSA compared to the control group (median in PD 15.8 μg/L, in MSA 13.6 μg/L vs. 24.3 μg/L in controls; p = 0.0008 in PD, p = 0.006 in MSA). There was no statistically significant difference in CSF 5-HIAA in PSP and CBS compared to the control group (median in PSP 22.7 μg/L, in CBS 18.7 μg/L vs. 24.3 μg/L in controls; p = 1 in both PSP and CBS). CSF 5-HIAA levels were lower in PD patients with depression compared to PD patients without depression (median 8.34 vs. 18.48, p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: CSF 5-HIAA is decreased in PD and MSA. The CSF 5-HIAA levels in PSP and CBS did not differ from those of the control group. There was a tendency toward lower CSF 5-HIAA in MSA than in PD; however, the results did not reach statistical significance. These results may be explained by more severe damage of the serotonergic system in synucleinopathies (PD and MSA) than in tauopathies (PSP and CBS).

Department of Neurology Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Palacky University and University Hospital Olomouc Czechia

Department of Neurology University Hospital Olomouc Olomouc Czechia

Institute of Biomedical Sciences Faculty of Medicine Ostrava University Olomouc Czechia

Institute of Laboratory Diagnostics University Hospital Ostrava Ostrava Czechia

Neurology Outpatient Clinic St Moritz Olomouc Czechia

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