title: Chemoarchitectonics of axonal and perikaryal acetylcholinesterase along information processing systems of the human cerebral cortex.
abstract: The distribution of axonal and perikaryal acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was studied in whole-brain sections. All cytoarchitectonic sectors and cortical layers of the human cerebral cortex contained AChE-rich axons. These axons displayed multiple varicosities which appeared to come in contact with AChE-rich and AChE-poor cortical perikarya. The upper layers of cortex tended to contain the highest density of AChE-rich axons. The AChE-rich axons were more dense in limbic-paralimbic areas of cortex than in primary sensory-motor and association areas. Within unimodal sensory association areas, the parasensory (upstream) sectors had a slightly lesser density of AChE-rich axons than the downstream sectors. Within paralimbic areas, the nonisocortical sectors displayed a distinctly higher density of AChE-rich axons than the more differentiated isocortical sectors. These observations indicate that the distribution of AChE-rich axons displays orderly variations that obey the organization of information processing systems in the cerebral cortex.
authors.affiliation: Bullard Laboratory, Harvard Neurology Department, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA 02215.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Mesulam
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Geula
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000032:analysis*; D000328:Adult; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001369:Axons / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D008032:Limbic System / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008875:Middle Aged; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase