COMPARISON OF PHOSPHOCHOLINES IN PLASMA AND CEREBROSPINAL FLUID (CSF). R.-M. Korth, Forschung in der Allgemeinmedizin FIDA, Palestrinastr.7A, Munich,Germany. Phosphocholines (lyso paf, paf, LA-paf) in human plasma or CSF were tested after extraction, HPLC and acetylation. Plasma carried 92.4±17.6% lyso paf, 0.05±0.06% paf and 3.9±2.1% LA-paf (498±91 ng/ml, n=3, ±1.S.D.). [3H]alkyl-lyso paf was found in VLDL, LDL, HDL and albumin-proteins (6.2±4.0; 21.4±9.2; 33.3±25.5; 151±4.7 pg/ml) as labeled paf added to plasma was found only in HDL or proteins (12.1±7.8;151 pg/ml,1h). Lyso paf and albumin (ng/mg) were found in CSF without paf. Lyso paf was significantly higher in CSF of psychotic patients (p<0.013, 101.7±22.3 ng/mg, 8.9±4.5 ng/500 µl, n=5) with or without dementia than in controls (p<0.013, 25.9±7.4 ng/mg, 2.9±1.1 ng, n=3), hebephrenia (p<0.013, 48.2±13.1 ng/mg, 3.6±0.7 ng, n=3) or paranoid (p<0.007, 39.2±4.8 ng/mg, 3.7±0.9, n=4) and neurological disorders (p<0.0027, 46.2±21.6 ng/mg, 3.4±0.9 ng, n=8). Lyso paf was high during inflammations (7.2±5.5 ng/500 µl, 59.8±26.5 ng/mg, n=9) and leakage of the blood brain barrier (67.7±7.1 ng/mg, 16.5±3.1 ng, n=3). Lyso paf might trigger mental disorders (US-Patent No. 5852052). The FASEB Journal, VOL. 14, No. 4, April 15-18, 2000.