Xx. Yan et al., PARASAGITTAL PATCHES IN THE GRANULAR LAYER OF THE DEVELOPING AND ADULT-RAT CEREBELLUM AS DEMONSTRATED BY NADPH-DIAPHORASE HISTOCHEMISTRY, NeuroReport, 4(11), 1993, pp. 1227-1230
THE development of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphor
ase (NADPH-d) activity in the rat cerebellum was studied histochemical
ly. NADPH-d reactivity was observed in the internal granular layer and
some Purkinje cells by the end of first postnatal week (PW1). By PW2,
the staining was localized in the granular layer (GL) and the molecul
ar layer (ML), but not in the Purkinje cell layer. The staining in GL
and ML increased further, and parasagittally organized NADPH-d patches
in GL were recognizable by PW3. These patches were more distinct and
almost adult-like by PW4. These results provide the first evidence of
a patchy organization of NADPH-d activity in GL and suggest that NADPH
-d plays an important role in the maturation and function of the cereb
ellum.