Myelin basic protein immunoreactivity in serum of neurosurgical patients.

Patients admitted to the neurosurgical wards for the management of nervous system tumours, subarachnoid and intracerebral haemorrhage, head injury, spinal and peripheral nerve lesions, and other miscellaneous neurosurgical conditions, were studied by assay of serum immunoreactivity for myelin basic protein. Of 171 patients, 70% proved to have elevated myelin basic protein activity. In cerebral cases the extent of brain damage assessed by clinical methods appeared to correlate with the appearance of elevated serum myelin basic protein. In spinal and peripheral nerve cases no similar elevation of myelin basic protein was observed.