scholarly journals Some components of the cholinergic system in the prawn Palaemonetes varians (Leach)

1973 ◽  
Vol 135 (4) ◽  
pp. 673-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin D. Veldsema-Currie

1. An enzyme similar to mammalian acetylcholinesterase is found in high activity in the nervous tissue of Palaemonetes varians, i.e. eyes plus stalks, brain, suboesophageal ganglion and ventral cord. Acetylcholinesterase is also found associated with the abdominal muscles. Multiple enzyme forms are found in extracts of nervous tissues and muscles by electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing. 2. Cholinesterase is present in high activity in the stomatogastric system of P. varians. Three electrophoretically separable forms are found, having isoelectric points at pH4.2, 4.5 and 5.4. 3. Approx. 50% of the total acetylcholinesterase activity, approx. 80% of the choline acetyltransferase activity and 100% of the acetylcholine equivalents are found associated with the nervous tissue. Among the tissues examined, eyes plus stalks were the richest source of both choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholine equivalents. Suboesophageal ganglion and brain also contained large amounts of these components. 4. The distribution of these components could support the function of acetylcholine as a central and/or sensory transmitter in P. varians.

1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 634-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
William E. Askew ◽  
Beng T. Ho

Intraventricular injections of dibutyryl cyclic AMP effected increases of acetylcholine in the cerebral cortex – striatal and subcortical regions. No increase in choline acetyltransferase activity was observed; however, there was a significant decrease in acetylcholinesterase activity in the subcortical region.


1980 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARIA G. P. GALLARDO ◽  
M. A. CANNATA ◽  
J. H. TRAMEZZANI

The neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary gland of male rats was assayed for choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity. Precise microsample punches were obtained from neurohypophysial tissue, pure pars intermedia tissue and from the junction area between them. The level of CAT activity (pmol/h per μg protein) in the neurohypophysis, pars intermedia and junction area were 0·390 ± 0·038 (s.e.m.), 0·228 ± 0·042 and 1·824 ± 0·268 respectively. These values show an uneven distribution of CAT in the neurointermediate lobe. The hypothesis of a cholinergic system located in the junction area has been advanced.


1983 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 927-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
C D Ross ◽  
J T Smith ◽  
D A Godfrey

Entire sagittal sections of rat cerebellar vermis were dissected into microgram-sized samples of molecular, granular, and white matter layers. Assayed activities of choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholinesterase were plotted back onto sectional maps of exact sample locations. On the average, the activities of choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholinesterase in the granular layer were about four and five times, respectively, those in the molecular layer. The highest activity of both enzymes was in the granular layer of the vestibulocerebellum, the nodulus and ventral uvula (lobules X and IXc of Larsell). This activity might be related to the secondary vestibulocerebellar projection, terminating as mossy fibers in the granular layer of this region. Intermediate levels of activity were found in the granular layer of the dorsal uvula (lobule IX, a and b). The lowest activities of both enzymes in the granular layer were in the culmen (lobule V). A 7.1-fold difference in choline acetyltransferase activity and a 4.5-fold difference in acetylcholinesterase activity were found between the granular layer of lobules V and X. The numerical density of aggregates of acetylcholinesterase staining product in the granular layer correlated much better with assayed acetylcholinesterase activity than with choline acetyltransferase activity.


1977 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 1237-1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
P M Packman ◽  
D A Godfrey ◽  
A D Williams ◽  
F M Matschinsky

The quantitative histochemical distribution of acetylcholinesterase and choline acetyltransferase activity has been measured in individual hypothalamic nuclei and median eminence, as well as in entire hypothalamic sections by a mapping technique. There was an 18-fold range of nuclear choline acetyltransferase activity with highest activities in the lateral preoptic nucleus and median eminence. There was a nine-fold range of nuclear acetylcholinesterase activity with highest activities in the lateral preoptic and magnocellular nuclei and lowest activity in the median eminence. The substantial gradients of choline acetyltransferase activity found in the hypothalamus indicate the importance of using a technique that provides an objective, permanent record of contiguous sample locations thereby allowing detailed analysis of tissue areas using, but not dependent on, anatomical boundaries.


1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Bowen ◽  
A. N. Davison

SYNOPSISLoss of neurons from the ageing human brain is accompanied by reduction in biochemical markers. Compared with age-matched controls about one third of nerve cell components are lost from the temporal lobe of patients with senile dementia of Alzheimer's type. There is marked loss of choline acetyltransferase activity, especially in the hippocampus. This alteration parallels the intensity of neuropathological damage and relates to prior mental impairment. Smaller changes in other neurotransmitter synthesizing enzymes are generally found.


Author(s):  
Е.И. Захарова ◽  
З.И. Сторожева ◽  
А.Т. Прошин ◽  
М.Ю. Монаков ◽  
А.М. Дудченко

Цель - исследование холинергической синаптической организации функций обучения и памяти у крыс с разными когнитивными способностями. Методы. Крыс обучали на пространственной обстановочной модели в водном лабиринте Морриса. Через 2-3 сут. после окончания тренировок животных декапитировали, из неокортекса и гиппокампа с помощью центрифугирования выделяли субфракции синаптических мембран и синаптоплазмы легких и тяжелых синаптосом. В синаптических субфракциях определяли активность ключевого фермента холинергических нейронов холинацетилтрансферазы (ХАТ). Сравнивали результаты тестирования (время достижения скрытой платформы) и активность фермента у способных и неспособных к обучению крыс. Результаты. Были выявлены: 1) различия в холинергической организации исследованных функций в процессе обучения у способных и неспособных к обучению крыс, в том числе: положительные корреляции активности ХАТ в синапсах проекционных нейронов неокортекса у способных крыс со временем достижения платформы на промежуточных этапах обучения и в синапсах проекционных нейронов гиппокампа у неспособных крыс на позднем этапе обучения; разнонаправленные корреляции активности ХАТ в синапсах, предположительно, интернейронов гиппокампа (фракция тяжелых синаптосом) у способных и неспособных крыс на начальном и позднем этапах обучения; 2) индивидуальность холинергической организации функций на всех этапах обучения. Выводы. Полученные данные свидетельствуют в пользу представлений о специфике холинергической организации функций пространственного обстановочного обучения у крыс с выраженными и слабыми способностями к обучению, а также избирательной роли холинергических интернейронов гиппокампа на исходном этапе обучения и в консолидации памяти. In order to expand the knowledge about neuronal organization of the cognitive functions required for understanding plastic processes in the brain, we investigated the cholinergic synaptic organization of learning and memory functions in rats with different cognitive abilities. Methods. Rats were trained on a contextual situation model in the Morris water maze. At 2-3 days after the end of training, animals were decapitated, and subfractions of synaptic membranes and synaptoplasm of light and heavy synaptosomes were isolated from the cortex and the hippocampus by centrifugation. In synaptic subfractions, activity of the key enzyme of cholinergic neurons, choline acetyltransferase, was measured. We compared the test results (latent period to reach the hidden platform) and the enzyme activity in capable (lower quartile) and incapable of learning rats (upper quartile). Results. The following was found: 1) differences in the cholinergic organization of studied functions in capable and uncapable of learning rats during training, including: positive correlations of choline acetyltransferase activity in synapses of projection neurons in the cortex of capable rats with latency to reach the platform at intermediate stages of training and in the hippocampus ofincapable rats at late stages of training; multidirectional correlations of choline acetyltransferase activity in synapses of hippocampal, presumably, interneurons (heavy synaptosomes) in capable and incapable rats at early and late stages of training; 2) distinctness of the cholinergic organization of functions at all stages of training. Conclusions. The study demonstrated for the first time a specificity of the cholinergic organization of functions in spatial situational learning of rats with strong and poor learning abilities and a selective role of hippocampal cholinergic interneurons at the initial stage of learning and in memory consolidation.


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