Plasma homovanillic acid levels in temporal lobe epilepsy

The role of the central dopaminergic system in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) was investigated through measurement of plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) levels. Plasma HVA levels in 30 patients with TLE were determined and compared with those in 53 healthy control subjects. Their relationship with clinical variables was investigated. The mean pHVA level of the TLE patients (9.44 ± 3.44 ng/ml) was not significantly different from that of the normal control subjects (8.40 ± 2.67 ng/ml). The differences were also nonsignificant when the patients were divided into subgroups according to seizure frequency, the interval between blood sampling and the preceding or following seizure, paroxysm laterality in electroencephalogram, the number of antiepileptic drugs administered, manifestation of psychotic symptoms, or antipsychotic medication. The obtained results were interpreted as indicating dopaminergic activities are not involved in the pathophysiology of TLE or decreased dopaminergic activities in TLE patients are balanced with compensatorily increased dopaminergic activities for suppressing seizure generation.