[The presence of quinolinic acid in the structures of the rat brain]

The brain tissue extracts from chronically alcoholized (15% ethanol intake for more than 18 months) rats were studied by mass spectrometry. The mass spectra for the striatum of control and alcohol-consuming rats were identical, while those for the hippocampus showed a significant difference: a great increase in the intensity of peaks typical of mass spectra for quinolinic acid.