Injection of Heavy Water into the Cerebro-Spinal Fluid Space. ∗

Abstract

After Barbour 1 and his associates had demonstrated the sympathicomimetic action of heavy water in mice when 1/5 of the body water was replaced by heavy water it seemed interesting to study the effect of partial replacement of cerebrospinal fluid by normal saline made up of heavy water. The experiments were carried out in 2 akinetic catatonic patients (male, age 35, female, age 30). A certain amount (see below) of cerebrospinal fluid was withdrawn and replaced by a physiological saline solution made up in 99.5% deuterium oxide instead of water. This was done by lumbar puncture in the recumbent position and the head lowered during the injection. In the first case 2 cc and 3.8 cc of heavy water saline were thus injected at an interval of 6 days. In the second case 10 cc were injected first, 22 cc and 14.2 cc later with an interval of 14 days between each injection. The cerebrospinal fluid was examined 8 hours after the first injection and thereafter at increasing intervals of 2 days to 3 weeks until 2 months after the last injection.

The results can be briefly summarized as follows: There was no appreciable change in the psychiatric or neurological picture, nor in the pulse rate, temperature, respiration, blood pressure, basal metabolic rate, blood cholesterol, sugar tolerance curve and kidney function. There was a marked cellular reaction in the cerebrospinal fluid. This was highest 8 hours after the injection (380 cells after 2 cc in case 1 : 470 cells after 10 cc in case 2). This reaction changed within 2 days from a polynuclear one to a lymphocytic one. The cellular reaction was much stronger than could be expected from repeated lumbar puncture and it could be observed as long as 2 months after the last injection (7 cells per cmm).