Purpose: To investigate the possible dysfunction of monoamine metabolism in patients with early-onset, epileptic encephalopathies.
Methods: The CSF dopamine, serotonin and biopterin metabolites were studied in 37 patients with severe, mostly drug-resistant epilepsy.
Results: No significant abnormality was found, whatever the type of epilepsy, cryptogenic or symptomatic.
Conclusions: The present study failed to demonstrate that dysfunction of the main neurotransmitters pathways is a common phenomenon in children with early-onset, severe epileptic encephalopathy.