[Status of serotonin metabolism in the central nervous system in purulent meningitis and meningoencephalitis].

The authors studied the concentrations of tryptophan, serotonin and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid in both blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with suppurative meningitides and meningoencephalitides of varying severity. The data obtained point to the intensification of serotonin metabolism in the central nervous system at the height of the disease development which may lead to alterations in the functional activity of serotoninergic neurones.