Protein synthesis during brain growth and development has been studied both prenatally and postnatally in sheep

and postnatally in rats. The near term ovine fetus study by schaefer and krismamurti who used tyrosine isotopic dilution technique reported high rate of cerebral protein synthesis with a protein fraction synthetic rate (FSR) of 14%/d to 37%/d (ie, the percentage of brain protein that is newly synthesized perday). In a more recent study that used a continuous tracer infusion of L-(1-14C)- leucine rather than labeled tyrosine, czikk at al showed a cerebral protein FSR of approximately 20%/d for the near term ovine fetal brain. The rate was similar whwn measured regionally in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum. Postnatal studied in rats have also shown high rates of brain protein synthesis during early development, with peak values occurring shortly after birth and gradually decreasing thereafter. Although high rate of cerebral protein synthesis are evident during early life in both sheep and rats in support of the brains growth and development, these rate considerably greater than anticipated protein accretion. The high rate suggest that protein degradation must play an important role in brain growth and development. Antenatal glucocorticoids are administered routinely at 25-34 weeks gestation to enhance fetal ling maturation in pregnant women who threaten premature delivery. Despite improved