Ferrante R J, Beal M F, Kowall N W, Richardson E P, Martin J B
Brain Res. 1987 May 12;411(1):162-6. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(87)90694-9.
The present study demonstrates that large aspiny neurons, containing the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE), are relatively preserved in the caudate nucleus and putamen in Huntington's disease (HD). Although histochemical evidence indicates that AChE and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) co-localize within the same striatal neurons, measurements of ChAT activity showed significant reductions in enzyme activity, as others have reported. Reduced ChAT activity in the presence of presence of persistent AChE-positive neurons may be a consequence of loss of synaptic terminals resulting from the death of spiny neurons. The selectivity of neuronal sparing in HD may be related to the patterns of synaptic contact or a paucity of excitatory amino acid receptors on striatal aspiny neurons.
本研究表明，在亨廷顿舞蹈病（HD）患者的尾状核和壳核中，含有乙酰胆碱酯酶（AChE）的大型无棘神经元相对保留。尽管组织化学证据表明AChE和胆碱乙酰转移酶（ChAT）共定位于同一纹状体神经元内，但正如其他人所报道的，ChAT活性测量显示酶活性显著降低。在持续存在AChE阳性神经元的情况下，ChAT活性降低可能是棘状神经元死亡导致突触终末丧失的结果。HD中神经元保留的选择性可能与突触接触模式或纹状体无棘神经元上兴奋性氨基酸受体的缺乏有关。
