Neutral lipid and sphingolipid composition of the brain of a patient with membranous lipodystrophy.

Lipids were extracted from brains of a patient with membranous lipodystrophy (ML) and three normal patients and the neutral lipid and sphingolipid constituents were investigated. The storage of a large amount of free fatty acid was observed in the ML brain, but no cholesterol ester was found. Total lipid, cholesterol and cerebroside contents were slightly decreased in the white matter of the ML brain. The composition of free and sphingolipid fatty acids did not differ between ML and normal brains.