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Histochemical localization of choline acetyltransferase in the deep cerebellar nuclei of the rat Petrali, Elena Harriet

Abstract

A histochemical method for the localization of choline acetyltransferase, the synthesizing enzyme of acetylcholine has been recently developed. Conditions of the method were first investigated and optimized in the spinal cord of the rat where cholinergic neurones are known to be present. Following standardization of the method the localization of the enzyme was studied in the deep cerebellar nuclei. A series of transverse sections were stained to facilitate, allocation of cells demonstrating enzyme activity to their respective nuclei as described in the literature. The presence of choline acetyltransferase was used as a direct indication of a cholinergic neurone, and was found predominantly in the cells in the ventral portion of the lateral nucleus, on the border of the interpositus and lateral nuclei and in the caudal portion of the medial nucleus. The results obtained are consistent with other studies indicating that a portion of the cerebello-thalamic pathway is cholinergic.

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