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Effect of acetyl‐L‐carnitine on forebrain cholinergic neurons of developing rats
Author(s) -
De Simone R.,
Ramacci M.T.,
Aloe L.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
international journal of developmental neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.761
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1873-474X
pISSN - 0736-5748
DOI - 10.1016/0736-5748(91)90071-s
Subject(s) - choline acetyltransferase , forebrain , cholinergic neuron , striatum , cholinergic , nerve growth factor , medicine , endocrinology , endogeny , hippocampus , carnitine , acetylcholine , choline , biology , chemistry , central nervous system , dopamine , receptor
It has been shown that the endogenous compound, acetyl‐L‐carnitine (ALCAR), acts in the brain as a metabolic cofactor in the synthesis of acetylcholine. In these studies, ALCAR was injected into the brain of developing rats every other day for the first three weeks after birth in order to assess its effect on forebrain cholinergic neurons. The results showed that intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of ALCAR causes an increase of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity and of nerve growth factor receptor expression in the striatum. Biological assays of brain tissues revealed that the level of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the hippocampus also increases. The ability of brain cholinergic tissues to respond to exogenous administration of ALCAR is discussed.