Excitatory amino acids in the cerebrospinal fluid of asphyxiated infants: relationship to hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Asphyxiated ( n = 27 ) and control infants ( n = 25 ) were subjected to spinal taps. Amino acids were measured with liquid chromatography and the degree of hypoxic-ischemic cncephalopathy was determined in each case. In asphyxiated infants, the concentrations of aspartate and glutamate were 286% and 387% ( p 0.01 and p 0.05) of the control values. respectively. The Cerebrospinal fluid aspartate levels were significantly ( p 0.05) higher in the group with severe (3.4 μmol/l) compared with the group with mild hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (1.0 μmol/l). Glutamate was also higher in the group with severe (12.3 μmol/l) than in the groups with mild (2.7 μmol/l) or moderate (3.2 μmol/l) hypoxic-ischemic enccphalopathy ( p 0.05). High concentrations of excitatory amino acids were present in the CSF of asphyxiated infants which may exert excitotoxic effects.