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CSF Glycine & Pyridoxine-Dependent Seizures

Levels of glycine in your cerebrospinal fluid affect your body's temperature control and blood pressure. For a patient with pyridoxine-dependent seizures, glycine levels may aggravate seizures. Conversely, seizures may elevate glycine levels. Pyridoxine-dependent seizures can be extremely dangerous, so early diagnosis and treatment are crucial. None of the information in this article is intended to be taken as medical advice -- you should consult your doctor with concerns about your CSF glycine or seizures.

  1. CSF Function

    • CSF stands for cerebrospinal fluid, which is a bodily fluid that fills the space around your brain. CSF is also found inside the brain and the spinal cord. This clear-colored fluid acts as a cushion in which your brain can float -- CSF protects the brain from injury and infection.

    Glycine Function

    • Glycine is an organic compound, and the smallest of the amino acids that are typically found in protein foodstuffs. Glycine is found in protein drinks and food supplements. It is used as an additive in animal foods. Also used as a sweetener for human food, glycine may improve sleep quality when taken before bedtime.

    Glycine Levels in CSF

    • CSF has a kind of flushing function in the brain's ventricular system. As the fluid flows through this system and back into the bloodstream, it carries waste away from the brain and central nervous system. If the concentration of glycine in the CSF is relatively high, this may negatively affect your body's control of your blood pressure and core temperature.

    Pyridoxine

    • Pyridoxine is also known as Vitamin B6. Your body needs pyridoxine to metabolize energy from your food to create red blood cells and to maintain proper nerve function. Pyridoxine supplements may be prescribed to treat B6 deficiency.

    Pyridoxine-Dependent Seizures

    • Rarely, seizures may be caused by pyrodixine dependency. Pyridoxine-dependent seizures can occur even when your vitamin B6 levels are normal. These seizures result from an incomplete binding of pyridoxine to the chemical which catalyzes the conversion of glutamic acid to gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). A low GABA concentration lowers the seizure threshold, making a seizure more likely.

    Causation

    • An article in the March 2000 issue of the journal "Pediatric Neurology" indicates that pyridoxine-dependent seizures may cause an increase in CSF glycine levels. Repeated seizures cause interruptions in the brain's oxygen supply, and it is believed that this can cause an elevation in glycine levels. Conversely, it is possible that elevated CSF glycine levels cause seizures -- when glycine levels in CSF are high, the seizures threshold is lowered, aggravating pyridoxine-dependent seizures.

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