Cerebrospinal fluid immunoglobulins and neurological diseases

The technique used was that of simple radial immunodiffusion, as described by Mancini et al. (1965). Of 22 cases with disseminated sclerosis, 16 had a distinctly increased concentration of cerebrospinal fluid IgG (72.7% of the cases). In polyneuritis, besides an increase of total proteins in 11 of 18 cases, there was an increase of IgG in 13 cases. The IgG values in 12 cases of cerebral and cerebellar atrophy were (except for 2, who showed a slight increase) within normal limits. Above normal values of IgG concentration were found in the 5 cases of neurosyphilis. In the 8 cases of different types of epilepsy all the values, both for total proteins and for IgG, were within normal limits. As for the other sporadic cases of different neurological diseases and 2 cases of tumors, they showed an increase of the concentration of IgG and of total proteins. An acute meningoencephalitis had a distinctly increased IgG; a moderate increase was present in the case of Creutzfeld Jakob's disease and in 2 cases of amiotrophic lateral sclerosis. Of 3 cases of Huntington's chorea, the IgG concentration was normal in 2 and slightly raised in one. Normal values were found in different dysmetabolic diseases (leukodystrophy, mucopolysaccharidosis, Refsum's disease).