Pathogenetic role of monoamine metabolism in complex febrile seizures.

To investigate the pathogenetic role of monoamine metabolism for febrile seizures, concentrations of homovanillic acid and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were evaluated in the lumbar cerebrospinal fluid of affected children. This series included children who underwent lumbar puncture within 4 hours after seizures, at which time the lumbar cerebrospinal fluid is presumed to represent a ventricular source of cerebrospinal fluid, without the consequence of a seizure. The subjects were 21 patients with simple febrile seizures, eight with complex febrile seizures, and eight control patients. The complex febrile seizure group had lower homovanillic acid and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels than the control group, whereas the simple febrile seizure group and control group did not have a significant difference. Although statistically not significant, the complex febrile seizure group was inclined toward lower homovanillic acid and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels than the simple febrile seizure group. These results implied that abnormal monoamine metabolism contributes to seizure susceptibility in the complex febrile seizure group. The simple febrile seizure group may be heterogeneous, and abnormal monoamine metabolism can play a role in seizure development for some children of this group.