Nocturnal decrease in vasopressin secretion into plasma in patients with multiple system atrophy
- Tetsutaro Ozawaa,
- Hajime Tanakaa,
- Ryoichi Nakanoa,
- Masahisa Satoa,
- Takashi Inuzukaa,
- Yoshiaki Somaa,
- Naoko Yoshimurab,
- Nobuyoshi Fukuharac,
- Shoji Tsujia
- aDepartment of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Japan, bDepartment of Neurology, Takeda General Hospital, Japan, cDepartment of Neurology, National Saigata Hospital, Japan
- Tetsutaro Ozawa, Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, 1 Asahimachi, Niigata 951–8585, Japan. Telephone 0081 25 227 0666; fax 0081 25 227 0820; email: ozawa{at}bri.niigata-u.ac.jp
- Received 19 November 1998
- Revised 6 April 1999
- Accepted 13 April 1999
Abstract
To determine whether the nocturnal decrease in arginine vasopressin (AVP) secretion into the plasma, found in a patient with multiple system atrophy (MSA) reported previously, is a usual finding in MSA, the plasma AVP concentrations in 13 patients with MSA were measured every 4 hours during a 24 hour period. The plasma AVP concentrations in these patients showed significant daily variations and were the lowest during the night. This finding indicates that patients with MSA often exhibit nocturnal decrease in AVP secretion into the plasma. The results suggest the possibility that the system responsible for the daily variations in AVP secretion is involved in MSA.
