ISSN:
1471-4159
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
To establish possible functional relationships between anatomically distinct cortical centres in primates, we compared changes in visual acuity, nucleic acids, protein, enzymes and catecholamines in cortical and subcortical areas six months after 10,000 and 20,000 rd of proton irradiation of striate area 17 of the visual cortex of the squirrel monkey. Minimum separable acuity was reduced from 1 minute of arc in controls to 4 minutes in the 20,000-rd group. DNA, RNA and protein contents were not altered, but the activity of acetylcholinesterase was increased significantly in area 17. A decrease of norepinephrine occurred in the hypothalamus, hippocampus, caudate nucleus, putamen and brain stem of the irradiated brains. Since no ultrastructural basis has been found to account for these changes, we assume that a sustained chemical change occurred at the irradiated site and that the effect was transmitted to non-irradiated regions of the brain.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.1971.tb03746.x
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