Biochemistry of the Avian Central Nervous System—i

The Phasing of Sleep in Animals

“…Invertebrates Iack brain structures currently deemed necessary for the expression of REMS and NREMS. The most significant differences between the brains of the various vertebrate phyla, which otherwise appear to be organized on similar lines with similar Ievels of the major neurotransmitters in the major divisions of the brain (e.g., Aprison and Takahashi, 1964}, relate to degrees of differentiation of the brainstem and to the origin and location of the associative centers. Amphibians Iack obvious analogs of the brainstem structures that are responsible for mammalian sleep, while reptiles, culminating in the chelonians, show progressive development of these areas.…”

Diminished response to beta‐bungarotoxin in neonatal rat diaphragm.

“…2 of Marchi et al 1979, by assuming a conversion ratio of 100 mg protein per gram wet weight). This content of ACh is at least 30 times higher than that measured in neonatal rat diaphragm (Table 1) (Aprison & Takahashi, 1965, found approximately 30 n-mole ACh per gram of mid-brain in chicken). Thus, it seems feasible to postulate that the neurochemical correlates of development in chick iris and rat diaphragm may reflect the very different concentrations of ACh in these tissues.…”

The distribution of monoamine oxidase and α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase in pig brain

“…Studies on the subcellular distribution of monoamnine oxidase (EC 1.4.3.4) have shown that the enzyme is largely associated with the mitochondrial fraction of both liver (Cotzias & Dole, 1951;Baudhuin et al 1963;Oswald & Strittmatter, 1963) and brain cells (Arnaiz & De Robertis, 1962;Marchbanks, 1966). The distribution ofthis enzyme in various regions of the brain has been studied in man (Biilbring, Philpot & Bosanquet, 1953;Birkhauser, 1940), pigeon (Aprison, Takahashi & Folkerth, 1964), dog (Bogdanski, Weissbach & Udenfriend, 1957;Weiner, 1960) and cow (Weiner, 1960). These studies have shown that, though the enzyme activity does vary among individual regions of the brain, the degree of variation is usually small, being much less than that found for some other enzymes.…”