title: Effects of traumatic brain injury on the cholinergic system in the rat.
abstract: Rats subjected to a mild to moderate fluid percussion injury exhibit memory deficits that are similar to rats that have received lesions of the septohippocampal system. Because the cholinergic system plays a major role in septohippocampal function, we studied the kinetics of the synthetic enzyme for acetylcholine, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), at 1 h, 24 h, or 5 days after a fluid percussion injury. Decreases in ChAT activity were found in the dorsal hippocampus (25%), frontal (32%), and temporal (23%) cortices 1 h after injury. In the parietal cortex, a greater than 50% increase in ChAT activity was observed at all time intervals assessed. At 5 days after TBI, there was an 18% increase in ChAT activity in the medial septal area. These data provide evidence that a mild to moderate fluid percussion injury produces changes in the cholinergic system in brain areas related to memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology/CCM, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287, USA.
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Gorman
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hovda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Traystman
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000201:enzymology; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D018728:Entorhinal Cortex / Q000201:enzymology; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000201:enzymology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000201:enzymology; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000201:enzymology; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000201:enzymology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000201:enzymology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase