Abstract
WE had previously established1 that the characteristic aberrations found in human phenylketonuria, namely, high plasma phenylalanine, phenylketones in the urine, and characteristic odour were observed in adolescent monkeys fed excessive amounts of L-phenylalanine in their diet. From the results of behavioural tests utilizing discrimination and maze performance, as well as poor adaptability to the test situation, thase monkeys appeared to be retarded in their learning ability. It seemed important to determine whether phenylketonuria could be produced in infant monkeys when the brain is apparently more sensitive to chemical insult. Long-term observation could then be made throughout the period of development and it might be possible to correlate the biochemical changes with behavioural patterns.
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References
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WAISMAN, H., WANG, H., PALMER, G. et al. Phenylketonuria in Infant Monkeys. Nature 188, 1124–1125 (1960). https://doi.org/10.1038/1881124b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1881124b0
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