Cholinergic but not monoaminergic denervation increases nerve growth factor content in the adult rat hippocampus and cerebral cortex.
We have investigated whether degeneration of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons is a potential trigger for increased NGF production in the adult rat brain. Electrolytic lesions of cholinergic neurons in the septum-diagonal band and in the nucleus basalis of Meynert induced a transient increase in NGF in the ventral hippocampus (+70%) and cerebral cortex (+125%), respectively. In contrast, selective aminergic denervation of the forebrain by electrolytic lesion of the medial forebrain bundle, did not increase NGF levels in hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Thus, a cholinergic mechanism appears to regulate NGF production in adult rat basal forebrain.
D000818:Animals; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000502:physiology; D001679:Biogenic Amines / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D003714:Denervation; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008474:Medial Forebrain Bundle / Q000502:physiology; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000502:physiology*
D001679:Biogenic Amines; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic