Enhancement of brain pyridoxal 5'-phosphate level following chronic ingestion of ethanol.

The concentrations of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate in the brains of DBA/2J mice during the withdrawal period following chronic ethanol ingestion were measured fluorimetrically. The brain of the ethanol-withdrawn mouse contains 22.4 +/- 3.1% more pyridoxal 5'-phosphate than the brain of a control mouse. The enhanced susceptibility to epileptic seizures during the withdrawal phase may in part be due to the increased cerebral content of this coenzyme.