Distribution of acetylcholinesterase in the developing visual cortex of neonatally hemidecorticate rats

The present study investigated the postnatal establishment of the laminar pattern of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the visual cortex (Oc1) of normal and neonatally hemidecorticate rates. Rat pups received a hemidecortication on post-natal day (PND) 3 and sacrificed at three day intervals starting at PND-6 through PND-24. Laminar patterns of AChE activity in Oc1 are described qualitatively and quantitatively using optical densitometry. The postnatal development of the laminar distribution of AChE activity is similar in normal and hemidecorticate rats. In both cases, AChE activity is intense in layer I, in the deep layer III as well as in layer IV. This pattern is first detected at the end of the first postnatal week. AChE activity reaches a peak intensity during the third postnatal week and gradually declines to adult levels during the fourth postnatal week. Hemidecortication has no significant effect on the intensity of AChE activity measured in the visual cortex. Neonatal hemidecortication does not affect AChE activity levels, structure of AChE neurites or the laminar distribution pattern, nor does it affect the time course of the establishment of this pattern in Oc1 of the remaining cortex. These data do not support the hypothesis that massive cortical lesions in rats result in an increase in contralateral cholinesterase activity nor do they suggest terminal sprouting of basal forebrain projections to the visual cortex.