[A comparative study of the fatty acid composition of the sphingomyelins in the whole brain and its parts in vertebrates].

The fatty acid composition of sphingomyelin (Spm) was studied in the total brain, the forebrain and the brain stem in frogs (Rana temporaria and Rana ridibunda), the tortoise (Emys orbicularis), the hen and the cat. A typical fatty acid pattern of Spm was revealed irrespectively of the brain part examined. Regular differences in fatty acid composition of Spm between various brain parts were found irrespectively of the level of development of the nervous system. It may be concluded that corresponding changes in the fatty acid composition of Spm in the forebrain as well as in the brain stem are taking place in the course of evolution of the central nervous system.