The term infant is highly vulnerable to hypoxia-induced cortical neuronal injury and seizures. Animal models indicate that properties of glutamate receptor (GluR) subunits expressed in the immature brain may contribute to age-dependent increases in regional vulnerability. We showed that AMPA GluR subunits are differentially regulated in developing human and rodent neocortex consistent with the transient presence of Ca2+ permeable AMPARs on pyramidal neurons (Talos et al., SFN Abs; 2003). Rodent studies suggest developmental regulation of NMDA GluR subunits, and we hypothesized that NMDARs are also differentially expressed in human infant neocortex compared to older ages. We evaluated NMDAR subunits in parietal cortex from mid-gestation to early childhood. Western blot analysis was performed on 12 neuropathologically normal human parietal lobe autopsy samples (20-92 post-conceptional weeks (PCW) and 2 adult controls). NR1 expression does not change significantly from 20-92 PCW (p>.05). NR2A levels are low f...