Aspartate aminotransferase activity and glutamic dehydrogenase in the cerebellar cortex in several species of animals. A histochemical study.

The histochemical study of the consumption of glutamic acid by way of the aspartate aminotransferase and the glutamic dehydrogenase in the cerebellar cortex of several species of animals have demonstrated that in that nerve centre exists some structures in which the mentioned consumption is specially or exclusively realized by means of one way and not for other different one. Is observed, as well, that in the rats, chicken and lizard, the baskets that surround the Purkinje cells are constituted by basket cells axons and by recurrent collaterals of Purkinje axons and that those structures have an intense aspartate aminotransferase activity, but not glutamic dehydrogenase. The aspartate aminotransferase activity was not observed on the other side, in the perikarya of the Purkinje cells of the related animals. However, there exists intense glutamic dehydrogenase activity. On the other hand, in the toad was not observed baskets with aspartate aminotransferase activity but this enzyme was presented on the other side in the perikarya of the Purkinje cells. All these observations have suggested the possibility that this special utilization of the glutamic acid is in some way concerned with the transmission phenomenons of the nerve impulse.