Asphyxiated (n = 27) and control infants (n = 25) were subjected to spinal taps. Amino acids were measured with liquid chromatography and the degree of hypoxic‐ischemic cncephalopathy was determined in each case. In asphyxiated infants, the concentrations of aspartate and glutamate were 286% and 387% (p0.01 andp0.05) of the control values. respectively. The Cerebrospinal fluid aspartate levels were significantly (p0.05) higher in the group with severe (3.4 μmol/l) compared with the group with mild hypoxic‐ischemic encephalopathy (1.0 μmol/l). Glutamate was also higher in the group with severe (12.3 μmol/l) than in the groups with mild (2.7 μmol/l) or moderate (3.2 μmol/l) hypoxic‐ischemic enccphalopathy (p0.05). High concentrations of excitatory amino acids were present in the CSF of asphyxiated infants which may exert excitotox