Question Title: Brain cell/neuron damage, metabolic?

Workups:
Cardiac negative, non specific st-t wave abnormalities.
Routine blood testing negative although had elevated CPK, bilirubin, GGT,
LDH and ammonia on occasion.
CT brain: negative
MRI/MRA brain: negative
Essentially no gross brain structure abnormalities as I am told.

Diagnosis: Anxiety and depression.
Treatment: benzodiazepines (Klonopin), SSRI's (Zoloft).

My concern: I beleive this is metabolic. Correlation with worsening of symptoms is to closly related
to ingestion and beginning of digestion of any type of food. Oddly enough
a carbonated beverage such as diet coke can lessen the symptoms. Effect on PH?
No overall hypoxia as MRA was negative, cardiac output normal under stress and Oxygen saturation is always
within normal limits. No hypo or hyper-glycemia. In my mind this is not a simple case of anxiety disorder with depression.
I have recorded my own data on my mental status, and found certain key areas are now rapidly worsening.
Global motor function: reasonably unchanged.
Long term memory: reasonably unchanged.
Short term memory: rapidly decreasing, scale of 1-10, .5 point every few days, about 5 now.
Sense of environment, visual audio: decreasing.
Sense of self: decreasing, scale of 1-10, .1 point every few days, about 7 now.
Poor concentration.

Questions:
Any blood test specific to brain cell or neuron damage or function available?
LDH of a specific type?
Excitatory amino acids?
Test for cerebral lactic acidosis?
Other suggestions?

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards;

B. Muller

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There are a few tests which can generally tell us about metabolic encephalopathies, and a few specific to certain syndromes (usually childhood metabolic inherited disorders).

The tests you inquired about are not available per se. Blood amino acids and urine organic acids are available, but not specifically excitatory amino acids in any meaninful way. A blood glutamate, for example, would have no bearing on the physiologic distribution of active glutamate in synaptic clefts in the CNS. It is possible to draw a lactate in the CSF usually in the context of searching for a mitochondrial disorder. I am not aware that LDH has any meaningful interpretation in brain disorders.

Your symptoms do not sound like those of a metabolic encephalopathy.

I hope this helps. As you know, this forum does not substitute for medical advice from your doctor. CCF MD mdf.