[Neurochemical asymmetry of human cerebral hemispheres]

The study was concerned with cholinesterase activity and acetylcholine content in the cortical tissue of the human brain, obtained in autopsy and during neurosurgery. A symmetry of cholinesterase activity was found in paired cortical zones of the cutaneous analyser, while in the cortical substance of the motor analyser, its activity was asymmetrical. In the parietal cortex the acetylcholine content was almost equal on two sides; a tendency to its asymmetry was noted in the frontal area. These characteristics of interhemispheric transmitter-enzyme relations between symmetrical cortical centres seem to be a link in the mechanism underlying paired and asymmetrical activity of cortical areas of the cerebral hemispheres in humans.