An analysis of the nuclear sodium content of human normal glia as well as tumors of glial and nonglial origin.

Normal human brain nuclei and nuclei obtained from glioblastoma, as well as other primary brain and metastatic tumors, were analyzed for their sodium content. The greatest concentration of sodium was found in glial tumor nuclei with lesser amounts in normal glial nuclei and least amounts in nuclei from nonglial tumors. This data supports our hypothesis that glial nuclei sequester brain sodium and also suggests that sodium in the nucleus may be important in glial mitogenesis.