Protracted form of Canavan's disease: case history and protein kinase activity of membrane fractions.

Clinical and morphological findings in an 8-year-old Jewish girl with spongy leukodystrophy are presented. Ultrastructural changes indicated that this may be a form of Canavan's disease with some atypical features. Biochemical measurements indicated that synaptosomal membranes prepared from the striatum but not from the cerebral cortex were deficient in protein kinase activity based on incorporation of 32P into proteins. Both areas contained the same spectrum of proteins. Cyclic AMP (cAMP) measurements indicated no significant differences between brain areas, or when compared to tissue obtained from a stillborn and a 5-year-old child.