IN-SITU MESSENGER-RNA HYBRIDIZATION STUDY OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF CHOLINE-ACETYLTRANSFERASE IN THE HUMAN BRAIN

We examined the distribution of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) mRNA in the brain of six autopsied individuals by in situ hybridization wit h S-35-labeled human ChAT riboprobes. Neurons containing hybridization signal for ChAT mRNA were observed in the nucleus of the diagonal ban d of Broca, the basal nucleus of Meynert, the caudate nucleus, the put amen, the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus, the laterodorsal tegment al nucleus, the parabigeminal nucleus, the oculomotor nucleus and the trochlear nucleus. These findings were in good agreement with previous ChAT-immunohistochemical data. In contrast, labeled neurons were not observed in the medial septal and medial habenular nuclei, in which pr eviously ChAT-immunoreactive neurons have been identified in many mamm alian species, including the human. An unexpected result of the presen t study was the demonstration of neurons with ChAT mRNA signal in rest ricted areas of the human cerebral cortex. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B .V. All rights reserved.