[The characteristics of the nigrostriatal brain system in genetic predisposition to catalepsy]

Activity of some enzymes of energy, protein and neurotransmitter metabolism in sensomotor cortex, caudate nucleus. S. nigra and N. accumbens of the right hemisphere was studied histochemically and biochemically, with parallel morphological investigation of these brain structures in rats bred for genetic predisposition to catalepsy (strain GC) and control Wistar rats. In GC rats, glutamate dehydrogenase activity was found to be increased in the cortex (by 12.8% in layer III and by 9.5% in layer V) and in the caudate nucleus (by 14.8%). Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity was increased by 13.5% in layer III of the cortex, which, together with the increase of acetylcholine esterase activity in the light synaptosome fraction of the caudate nucleus (by 34.6%) reflects an advanced brain metabolism level as compared to Wistar rats. The diminution of the number of astroglia cells by 33.2% and oligodendroglia by 50.7% in N. accumbens, of neurons by 17.4% and astroglia by 24.6% with an increase of oligodendroglia cells by 21.6% in S. nigra seems to be associated with the change of functional activity of these brain structures. These structural changes in N. accumbens and S. nigra in rats with a genetic predisposition to cataleptic reaction reflect, probably, a pathological process in the central nervous system whose manifestation is susceptibility to catalepsy.