Tridimensional distribution of markers of neurotransmitters within the "accumbens area" of normal human brains.
The distribution of glutamate decarboxylase and choline acetyltransferase in the accumbens area of five neurologically normal human brains was investigated. (1) For rostrocaudal distribution, frozen samples were taken by the punching method from several transverse sections (150 micron) of the accumbens area and the caudate-putamen were assayed. The glutamate decarboxylase activity was highest in the middle of the accumbens area. The choline acetyltransferase activity in the accumbens area was the same as that in the caudate-putamen at the rostral half and gradually decreased caudally, while the caudate-putaminal choline acetyltransferase remained unchanged throughout. (2) For a mapping of the distribution of both enzymes, a pair of transverse sections of the accumbens area was cut into 1 mm X 1 mm square blocks by the grid microdissection method. The glutamate decarboxylase activity was highest at the ventromedial part; the glutamate decarboxylase-rich area could be reconstructed as a confined ellipsoid zone deep in the accumbens area. The choline acetyltransferase activity was patchily distributed in the rostral half of the accumbens area. Although the demarcation of the human nucleus accumbens inferred from choline acetyltransferase and glutamate decarboxylase distribution is not precise, it is clear that the accumbens area which corresponds to the animal nucleus accumbens is separated from the remainder of the striatum.
D000368:Aged; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000502:physiology; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000201:enzymology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000502:physiology
D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase