Human circulating dopamine-beta-hydroxylase and epilepsy.

The activity of circulatory dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) in humans is shown to be lower in some epileptic subjects than in normal subjects. The activity of the enzymes was found to be dramatically low in subjects who experienced an epileptic seizure 24 hrs before DBH activity was determined. The activity varied through the course of epileptic seizures induced by a convulsant drugs and these variations might be due to the "en masse" changes of the sympathetic nervous system.