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DOI: 10.1177/0883073807302619
The Pediatric Neurotransmitter DisordersDepartment of Neurology, Children's National Medical Center, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, ppearl{at}cnmc.org
Department of Neurology, Children's National Medical Center, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
Department of Neurology, Children's National Medical Center, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
Department of Neurology, Children's National Medical Center, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
The pediatric neurotransmitter disorders represent an enlarging group of neurological syndromes characterized by abnormalities of neurotransmitter synthesis and breakdown. The disorders of dopamine and serotonin synthesis are aromatic amino acid decarboxylase deficiency, tyrosine hydroxylase deficiency, and disorders of tetrahydrobiopterin synthesis. Amino acid decarboxylase, tyrosine hydroxylase, sepiapterin reductase, and guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase (Segawa disease) deficiencies do not feature elevated serum phenylalanine and require cerebrospinal fluid analysis for diagnosis. Segawa disease is characterized by dramatic and lifelong responsiveness to levodopa. Glycine encephalopathy is typically manifested by refractory neonatal seizures secondary to a defect of the glycine degradative pathway.
Key Words: neurotransmitters
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-amino butyric acid (GABA) metabolism is associated with several disorders, including glutamic acid decarboxylase deficiency with nonsyndromic cleft lip/ palate, GABA-transaminase deficiency, and succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency. The latter is characterized by elevated