Cerebrospinal fluid cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate in cases of severe cerebral ischemia and meningitis.

The concentration of cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) in cerebrospinal fluid was measured in 45 samples from 45 subjects, one sample per subject. 12 of the studied persons were (control group) neurologically normal, 11 were suffering from acute cerebral ischemia with deep coma, and 22 from meningitis of different types. The mean value obtained in the control group was 21.4 +/- (SEM) 3.3 nmol/l, in the group of acute cerebral ischemic attack with deep coma it was 7.00 +/- 0.81 nmol/l and in the group of meningitis 5.5 +/- 0.4 nmol/l. These values are significantly lower than the control group (p less than 0.001). These low levels, observed in the two groups of patients, may be attributed to the altered cAMP metabolism in the central nervous system because of deep coma and bacterial infections.