A comparison of the distribution of acetylcholinesterase and muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the feline neostriatum.

In the cat neostriatum the histochemical distribution of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was compared with the autoradiographic localization of the cholinergic muscarinic antagonist [3-(3)H]quinuclidinyl benzilate ( [3H]QNB). While the AChE was found to be localized in a pattern of AChE dense and sparse zones the muscarinic receptors were distributed evenly throughout the neostriatum. The results suggest that the AChE histochemical patches in the neostriatum are not indicative of the distribution of cholinergic synapses.