The neurotoxicity of ethylcholine mustard aziridinium (ECMA) in rat brain reaggregate cultures.

The cholinergic neurotoxin ECMA causes a biphasic loss of choline acetyltransferase activity in foetal rat whole brain reaggregate cultures. Initial direct inhibition is followed by longer-term loss of cholinergic neurones. Final muscarinic receptor binding, neurofilament protein and Na+, K+-ATPase concentrations suggest that the lesion is specific for cholinergic neurones at 12.5 microM ECMA, but is more generalised at 50 microM ECMA.