Histochemical study of the cholinesterase activity in cat myenteric ganglia during postnatal development

The changes in the cholinesterase activity of cat myenteric ganglia during the postnatal development are studied histochemically. During early postnatal development, the increase in enzyme activity is particularly pronounced in the perikarya of the myenteric neurones. Intensification of the reaction in the neuropile is characteristic after the 14th postnatal day and also persists in adult animals. The localization and intensity of the histochemical reaction in the individual neurones of a single ganglion is variable. The changes in enzyme activity are not identical in dynamics and localization in the myenteric ganglia in the areas of the alimentary tract examined, this difference being observed throughout the entire postnatal development.