“…Excessive changes have been found in the central monoamine neurotransmitters in both human and experimental hepatic encephalopathies, and have been attributed, at least in part, to amino acid imbalance in plasma and brain (Fischer et al, 1975Curzon et al, 1975;Fischer and Baldessarini, 1976). In experimental portocaval encephalopathy, there is a diffuse and regional increase in brain tryptophan (Trp), serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) (Knott and Curzon, 1974;Cummings et al, 1976), a decrease in noradrenaline (NA) (Dodsworth et al, 1974), while striatal dopamine (DA) is not significantly changed in these conditions (Curzon et al, 1975).…”