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. 1995 Sep;13(2):108-10.
doi: 10.1016/0887-8994(95)00121-u.

Cerebrospinal fluid corticotropin and cortisol are reduced in infantile spasms

T Z Baram  1 , W G Mitchell, R A Hanson, O C Snead 3rd, E J Horton
Affiliations

Cerebrospinal fluid corticotropin and cortisol are reduced in infantile spasms

T Z Baram et al. Pediatr Neurol. 1995 Sep.

Abstract

Infantile spasms respond to ACTH, and levels of the hormone in cerebrospinal fluid of untreated infants with this disorder were found to be lower than in age-matched controls. In this study we analyzed cerebrospinal fluid cortisol and ACTH using improved immunoassays in a larger cohort of infants with infantile spasms. Analysis of 20 patients and 15 age-matched controls revealed significantly lower levels of both ACTH and cortisol in the cerebrospinal fluid. These data, combined with the efficacy of ACTH and glucocorticoids for infantile spasms, support an involvement of the brain-adrenal-axis in this disorder.

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