Cerebrospinal fluid concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in pregnancy

Abstract

This article demonstrates an association between the release of 5-HIAA into the CSF during successive stages of pregnancy and labor. The increase in 5-HIAA during pregnancy and parturition may represent the body's natural process of modifying pain. The results of this study should not be taken as evidence that serotonin is the only neurotransmitter responsible for the reduced anesthetic requirements in pregnancy. Other neuropeptides such as dopamine, neurotensin, and substance P also are involved in nociperception and analgesic drug potency.