Changes in cerebrospinal fluid cyclic nucleotides in alcohol-dependent patients suffering from delirium tremens

In eight patients with a history of alcoholism (on average 9 years), cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate (AMP) and cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate (GMP) were determined in CSF in the acute untreated phase of delirium tremens and at 2 weeks later when clinical symptoms had vanished. Before the second lumbar puncture a drug-free period of 1 week had existed. The results were compared with an age- and sex-matched neurological control group. CSF cyclic AMP concentrations were markedly reduced by 62% (p less than 0.005) in the acute state of delirium tremens and remained at the same level 2 weeks later; cyclic GMP concentrations were increased by 37% (p = 0.05) and showed a small further increase (p less than 0.05) at the second lumbar puncture. A negative correlation existed between age and cyclic AMP content of CSF (r = -0.756; p less than 0.05) in the patients group. The data indicate that the earlier observed increase in norepinephrine turnover in the acute state of delirium tremens (Athen et al., 1977) seems not to induce an increase of cyclic AMP content in CSF.