Regional maturation of neurotransmitter-related and glial markers during postnatal development in the rat

Neurotransmitter-related (choline acetyltransferase, acetylcholinesterase, glutamate decarboxylase, L-glutamate and GABA high affinity uptake) and glial neurochemical markers (glutamine synthetase, beta-alanine uptake and 2',3' cyclic nucleotide phosphohydrolase) have been quantitatively assayed in various regions of the rat CNS during normal postnatal development: spinal cord, cerebellum, superior colliculus, hippocampus, striatum, visual cortex, frontal sensory-motor cortex and prefrontal cortex. In general, neurochemical markers show an obvious trend toward increasing levels in parallel with brain maturation. However, some relevant exceptions have been observed and discussed. Detailed knowledge of regional neurochemical brain maturation is important since it gives us information concerning some key events of brain development. In addition, this knowledge is the essential pre-requisite for studies aimed at the alteration of specific regional and temporal parameters through experimental manipulation.