Free radicals and neurotransmitters in gerbil brain. Influence of age and ischemia reperfusion insult.

In gerbil brain, levels of hydroxyl radicals (OH.) and neurotransmitters such as glutamate, aspartate, GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) are low at birth, reach a plateau and decrease with age. On the other hand, when gerbils are exposed to an ischemia reperfusion insult (IRI) the older animals have a higher stroke index and hydroxyl radical as well as glutamate and other neuromediators are concomitantly increased. This discrepancy is probably due to differences in the ability of old individuals to respond to oxidative stress. The still incompletely understood relationship between oxidative damage to proteins and accumulation of amino acids, which have an important role as neurotransmitters at physiologic concentrations, but may become neurotoxic at high concentrations, is discussed.