The oxidation of dextrose is an important element in the nutrition of nerve, as well as of other, cells. The occurrence of nervous symptoms, which sometimes include convulsions, is a striking accompaniment of hypoglycemic reactions. Irritability of nerves has been shown to increase along with a decrease of blood sugar. For these reasons, it is important that all phases of carbohydrate metabolism should be studied in persons who are subject to seizures. We have already discussed this question and have presented data concerning blood sugar and blood sugar curves in large numbers of epileptic patients.1 In spite of individual variations from normal, the evidence gathered indicates that the sugar of the blood plays but a passive rôle in epileptic seizures.
It is possible, however, that there might be abnormalities in the sugar content of tissues other than the blood; the spinal fluid, for example. Such abnormalities of the spinal