Free amino acids in the cerebrospinal fluid of children with febrile seizures.

The content of free amino acids in the cerebrospinal fluid from 52 children in different age groups with febrile seizures were determined and compared to 88 age matched children without seizures. We found that the concentrations of some amino acids in CSF in the control group decreased slowly with age, reaching the concentrations found in adults at the age of 3 to 6 years, and that the free amino acid levels were no significantly altered by temperature. The free amino acids in the CSF from patients with febrile seizures showed a different pattern of change with age. These results suggest that the same type of convulsive disorder may show a different alteration in amino acids in CSF depending on the patient's age, and that the degree of elevation of body temperature is not implicated in these changes.