Components of the calmodulin system (i.e., calmodulin levels and activities of the following calmodulin-dependent enzymes: Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase, adenylate and guanylate cyclases, cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterases, and Ca2+-dependent protein kinase were studied in the following brain regions from immature (25-day-old), mature (3-month-old) and aged (22-month-old) mice: striatum, cortex, cerebellum, diencephalon and medulla + pons. Both maturation and advanced aging were associated with significant changes in calmodulin content and in enzyme activities. The study provides evidence for important changes in the activity of this fundamental cell regulatory system in the brain during the processes of maturation and aging.