Background and Purpose
Glutamate receptor mediated enhanced excitatory neurotransmission is typically associated with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS). Kynurenic acid (KYNA) and quinolinic acid (QUIN) are two important tryptophan-kynurenine pathway (KP) metabolites that modulate glutamate receptor activity. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that alteration in metabolism of KP metabolites in the hippocampus of patients with MTLE-HS contributes to abnormal glutamatergic transmission.