Abstract
Abstract
The activity of the superoxide dismutase was measured by the polarographic method of catalytic currents in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with age-related neurologic degenerative diseases, namely, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease, and of a reference group of normal subjects. The superoxide dismutase activity was found to increase with age in reference subjects (r = 0.81) while no significant correlation was found in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease patients. The activity mean values were significantly lower (P < 0.01) in patients with neurologic degenerative diseases than in the reference subjects. The changes of superoxide dismutase activity in the aging brain and in age-related neurologic degenerative diseases are discussed.
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