Mesencephalic arteriolar and neuronal metabolic profiles from fresh and in vitro incubated tissue sections in the mouse: a histochemical approach.

Neuronal perikarya and arterioles of slices of mouse midbrain were examined histochemically to determine their metabolic profiles. No differences in reactivities of key metabolic enzymes were observed between fresh 400-micron tissue sections and sections undergoing in vitro incubation for 4 h at 35 degrees C. Both neurons and arterioles appear capable of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, while fatty acid utilization is limited. An operative hexose-monophosphate shunt occurs in midbrain neurons and arterioles. These data strongly suggest that electrophysiological and neurochemical studies using the in vitro preparation yield similar data to those obtained from fresh tissue.