Concentration gradients of monoamines, their precursors and metabolites in serial lumbar cerebrospinal fluid of neurologically healthy patients determined with a novel LC-MS/MS technique.

A ventricular-lumbar CSF concentration gradient existed for most of the investigated analytes. This is a novel finding for dopamine, noradrenaline, 3-MT and normetanephrine. These results contribute to the understanding of the neurobiology and underline the importance of standardized procedures for CSF handling to allow comparisons between studies.