title: Glutamic acid decarboxylase in cerebrospinal fluid in infancy and childhood. Part I. Glutamic acid decarboxylase activity in cerebrospinal fluid of normal infants and children.
abstract: Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) activity in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of normal infants (n:14) and children (n:28) was determined by measuring the amount of 14CO2 released from L-[1-14C]-glutamic acid. The mean GAD activity in CSF of infants and children was 5.2 +/- 2.5 pmol CO2 formed/hr/ml. Dividing these subjects into 4 groups according to age, GAD activities in CSF were 5.4 +/- 1.6 pmol CO2 formed/hr/ml in neonates (0-1 m), 3.6 +/- 1.6 pmol CO2 formed/hr/ml in infants (2-12 m), 3.9 +/- 1.1 pmol CO2 formed/hr/ml in young children (2-6 yr) and 7.1 +/- 2.3 pmol CO2 formed/hr/ml in school children (7-16 yr), respectively. In neonates and school children, GAD activities were significantly higher (p less than 0.001) than those in the other age groups. In infants under 6 months of age, a significantly negative correlation between GAD activity in CSF and their ages was recognized (r = -0.52, p less than 0.001). In infants and children ranging from 6 months to 16 years of age, a significantly positive correlation between GAD activity in CSF and their ages was found (r = 0.67, p less than 0.001). These data suggest that high GAD activity in neonates may be due to hypoxia at birth and the activity gradually increases from 6 months to 15 years of age.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase