Structural localization of the elements of the acetylcholine system in the rat cerebellum

The elements of the acetylcholine system (choline acetyltransferase, acetylcholinesterase, acetylcholine receptors) were analysed in the cerebellum of the rat by histochemical and biochemical means. All the elements were found. Besides the granular layer, the molecular layer exerts CAT activity. The 3H-QNB binding site is highest in the molecular layer and lowest in the intracerebellar nuclei, while the 125I-alpha-bungarotoxin distribution in these structures is the opposite. The results support the view that cholinergic transmission may be present in the rat cerebellum.