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Molecular Forms of Butyrylcholinesterase in the Human Neocortex During Development and Degeneration of the Cortical Cholinergic System

1987; Wiley; Volume: 48; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1471-4159.1987.tb05724.x

1471-4159

John Atack, Elaine K. Perry, James R. Bonham, John M. Candy, Robert H. Perry,

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids

Abstract: The total levels of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity and, more specifically, the distribution of BChE molecular forms were measured in the human neocortex during fetal development. Both the amount of total activity and the abundance of the different molecular forms (G 1 and G 4 ) remained relatively constant between gestational ages of 8‐22 weeks and were similar to those observed in samples of cortex from aged brain. In addition, in both Alzheimer‐type and parkinsonian dementia, the levels of total BChE activity as well as the relative abundance of the G 1 and G 4 molecular forms were similar to those observed in control tissue. Hence, both the levels of total activity and the distribution of molecular forms did not change significantly either during fetal development or in the neurodegenerative disorders of Alzheimer‐type and parkinsonian dementias. Because these situations are accompanied by changes in the cortical cholinergic system (including an increase and decrease in levels of the G 4 form of acetylcholinesterase, respectively), it is concluded that, at least in the human neocortex, BChE is unrelated to cholinergic neurotransmission associated with subcortical cholinergic projection fibres.