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Transmitters in the developing and senescent human brain

E K Perry¹, M A Piggott, J A Court

¹Medical Research Council Neurochemical Pathology Unit, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

|September 24, 1993

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Brain development involves neurotransmitters shaping neural connections. Cholinergic system activity, particularly choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), shows distinct developmental patterns in the cerebellum and hippocampus, impacting synaptic plasticity.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Developmental Biology
Neurochemistry

Background:

Experience-dependent plasticity shapes central nervous system (CNS) structure and function throughout life.
Neurotransmitters are key mediators, influencing synapse formation, elimination, and consolidation, partly via neurotrophin expression.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the developmental trajectories of cholinergic and excitatory amino acid transmitter systems in the postmortem human brain.
To compare the developmental patterns of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and glutamate NMDA receptor binding across different brain regions and age groups.

Main Methods:

Analysis of postmortem human brain tissue from prenatal to old age.
Measurement of glutamate NMDA receptor binding using MK801.

Related Experiment Videos

Assay of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity.

Histochemical reactivity assessment for acetylcholinesterase (AChE).

Main Results:

Glutamate NMDA receptor binding showed no significant postnatal alterations.
Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity exhibited region-specific developmental patterns: high in fetal cerebellum, low in fetal hippocampus, rising postnatally to a middle-age peak, then declining.
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) reactivity mirrored ChAT patterns in the hippocampus and adjacent cortex.

Conclusions:

Cholinergic synaptic plasticity appears restricted to the prenatal period in the cerebellum.
In the hippocampus and cortex, cholinergic synaptic plasticity extends through postnatal development and into adult life.
The prolonged cholinergic sculpting in the hippocampus and cortex may contribute to their vulnerability to age-related pathologies like beta-amyloidosis.