8-Hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (oxo(8)dG) has been used as a marker of free radical damage to DNA and has been shown to accumulate during aging. Oxidative stress affects some brain regions more than others as demonstrated by regional differences in steady state oxo(8)dG levels in mouse brain. In our study, we have shown that regions such as the midbrain, caudate putamen, and hippocampus show high levels of oxo(8)dG in total DNA, although regions such as the cerebellum, cortex, and pons and medulla have lower levels. These regional differences in basal levels of DNA damage inversely correlate with the regional capacity to remove oxo(8)dG from DNA. Additionally, the activities of antioxidant enzymes (Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase, mitochondrial superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase) and the levels of the endogenous antioxidant glutathione are not predictors of the degree of free radical induced damage to DNA in different brain regions. Although each brain region has significant differences in antioxidant defenses, the capacity to excise the oxidized base from DNA seems to be the major determinant of the steady state levels of oxo(8)dG in each brain region.