Plasma levels of excitatory and inhibitory amino acid neurotransmitter
s were assayed in 20 male patients following alcohol withdrawal and in
20 normal controls. All patients filled out an 'Alcohol withdrawal sy
mptom monitoring sheet', including more than 20 symptoms. The levels o
f excitatory amino acid were higher and the values of inhibitory amino
acid lower in the patients than in the controls. The correlation betw
een the level of excitatory amino acid and the rating of subjective di
scomfort was positive, and the correlation between the level of inhibi
tory amino acid and the level of subjective discomfort was negative.