Über die Lipoide des menschlichen Gehirns während der Entwicklung

Abstract

Lipid analyses were carried out on brains of human fetuses (7 to 8 mos.), of human newborns, of children (13 and 14 mos. old), and of old men (64 and 78 yrs. old) according to the method of Klenk. The water content decreased with age, while the amts. per 100 gm. of dry wt. of fat and cholesterol, of cerebrosides as well as of ether soluble glycerol phos-phatides increased with age. The brains of fetuses and newborns contained ether insoluble glycerol phosphatides, the brains of children a mixture of these substances with sphingomyelin, which could not be separated. The brains of old people contained sphingomyelin but no ether insoluble glycerol phosphatides. The substance X of Klenk was found in similar amts. in all brains tested. The corebroside fraction of the brains of fetuses yielded a product which is considered to be lignoceryl sphingosine.