Mammalian organs are known to decarboxylate a number of n-amino acids. Of the mammalian decarboxylases, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine decarboxylase is probably the most studied. Blaschko (1) reported values for DOPAl decarboxylase in .liver and kidney of several animal species. The enzyme was shown to be deactivated by dialysis and its activity restored by the addition of pyridoxal phosphate (2, 3...

Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is an autoimmune neurological disorder characterized by rigidity of the trunk and proximal limb muscles, intermittent superimposed spasms, and increased sensitivity to external stimuli. It has been more than 50 years since Moerch and Woltman reported the first 14 cases with this syndrome. During the last half century, many autoantibodies discovered, such as anti-glut...

Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (EC. 4.1.1.28) deficiency is a newly described inborn error of metabolism that affects serotonin and dopamine biosynthesis. The major biochemical markers for this disease are increases of L-dopa, 3-methoxytyrosine, and 5-hydroxytryptophan in urine, plasma, and cerebrospinal fluid together with decreased cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of homovanillic acid ...

Mammalian organs are known to decarboxylate a number of n-amino acids. Of the mammalian decarboxylases, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine decarboxylase is probably the most studied. Blaschko (1) reported values for DOPAl decarboxylase in .liver and kidney of several animal species. The enzyme was shown to be deactivated by dialysis and its activity restored by the addition of pyridoxal phosphate (2, 3...

A variety of anti-neuronal cell membrane antibodies such as voltage-gated potassium channel antibody, N-methyl-D-aspartate-2B-antibody, and glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody, are correlated with limbic encephalitis (LE). In this study on patients with LE, the clinical manifestations, psychology Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, cerebrospinal fluid, electrophysiology, magnetic resonance imag...

Autoimmune disease and/or autoantibodies have been reported in mood disorder patients. We screened for autoantibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65), thyroid peroxidase (TPO), gastric H+/K+ ATPase (ATP4B), and Ro52 in a psychiatric patient cohort. A 24-year-old woman with major depressive disorder (MDD) with reduced psychomotor activity was identified with unusually high serum GAD65 and...

Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS) is considered as a variant of the Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and its characteristic clinical features are ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and areflexia. Typically, it is associated with anti-GQ1b antibodies; however, a significant percentage (>10%) of these patients are seronegative. Here, we report a 67-year-old female patient who presented with the typical clinical fe...