[Tryptophan and tyrosine in blood and cerebrospinal fluid in patients with recent cerebral infarct].

The determinations were carried out in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of 40 patients with recent cerebral infarction and 30 controls. Tryptophan concentration was determined by the fluorimetric method of Denckla and Dewey, and tyrosine concentration by the method of Waalkes and Udenfried. A statistically significant rise of free tryptophan concentration in the plasma and tryptophan concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid was found which seemed to depend on the stress reaction following brain infarction. No statistically significant changes were observed in the concentration of tyrosine in the cerebrospinal fluid and plasma in patients with brain infarction.