Abstract
We aimed to establish age-related reference values for Erythropoietin (EPO) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and to evaluate concentrations in neurological diseases. CSF and serum EPO was measured in controls with tension-type headache (CTTH), in patients with ALS, dementia and depression using ELISA technique.
Stability experiments showed CSF EPO to be stable for two and a half months and over two thaw/freeze cycles. A positive correlation of CSF EPO with age was found (P < 0.01). We found a CSF/serum EPO concentration ratio of 0.126, pointing towards an intrathecal synthesis of EPO. The ALS group showed significantly lowered CSF EPO compared to age-matched CTTH (P < 0.012), whereas the dementia and depression group showed no significant differences compared to CTTH.
The establishment of age-related reference values in a large cohort of controls will improve the interpretation of future CSF EPO evaluations in neurological diseases.
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Widl, K., Brettschneider, J., Schattauer, D. et al. Erythropoietin in Cerebrospinal Fluid: Age-related Reference Values and Relevance in Neurological Disease. Neurochem Res 32, 1163–1168 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-007-9286-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-007-9286-0