LOINC display name : Folate and tryptophan and metabolites pattern Nar (CSF) [Interp];
LOINC long common name : Folate and tryptophan and metabolites pattern [Interpretation] in Cerebral spinal
fluid Narrative;
LOINC short name : Folate Tryp Metabs Pattern CSF-Imp;
LOINC description : Testing for folate and its metabolites as well as tryptophan and its metabolites in
CSF can be useful in distinguishing among various central nervous system disorders
associated with folate deficiency. Low folate levels are associated with inborn errors
of metabolism, including cerebral folate deficiency (CFD), a neurological syndrome
that occurs around 2-4 months of age and is primarily associated with associated with
low levels of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) in the CSF with normal folate levels
in the plasma and red blood cells.[PMID: 19260931] Low folate levels are also associated
with depression and dementia in elderly patients.[PMID: 11183038] Serotonin, which
is formed from tryptophan, may be the link between folate and depression or dementia.
Many patients with neuropsychiatric disorders and folate deficiency have also been
found to have low levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA, a serotonin metabolite),
and patients with 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) deficiency also
have decreased serotonin synthesis. [PMCID: 1810582];
Has component