Hypertrophy of cholinergic neurones of the basal nucleus in the rat following damage of the contralateral nucleus.

The effect of damage of the basal nucleus of one side on the size of immunohistochemically identified cholinergic cells in the contralateral nucleus has been studied in rats. Following stereotaxic injections of kainic acid into the nucleus of one side, the choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-containing neurones in the contralateral basal nucleus are significantly larger (mean +19%) than those in normal animals. This hypertrophy is of comparable magnitude to that seen following damage of the contralateral cortex (mean +21%) and appears to persist indefinitely.