[Monoamine metabolites and cyclic nucleotides in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with bismuth or mercury poisoning].

The central metabolism of dopamine, serotonin, cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP was studied by use of the probenecid test in three patients with bismuth encephalopathy and in one patient with mercury encephalopathy. The accumulation of HVA and of cGMP in the cerebrospinal fluid was depressed during the acute phase of bismuth encephalopathy with severe hyposomnia, while it was increased in a patient with regression of clinical symptoms and normal in a patient with more advanced recovery. The patient with chronic mercury poisoning showing a severe cerebellar ataxia and rigidity had an almost complete suppression of HVA accumulation and an increase of cGMP accumulation. No pronounced differences of 5-HIAA and cAMP behavior were found. It is concluded that the central metabolism of dopamine and of cGMP is severely affected in bismuth and mercury encephalopathies.