Distributions of choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholinesterase activities in the retinal layers of pigeon red and yellow fields.

The activities of choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholinesterase were assayed in submicrogram samples from layers of pigeon retina. Red and yellow fields were sampled separately to investigate quantitatively the relationship between these enzymes of acetylcholine metabolism and the gradient of inner plexiform layer complexity, increasing from the yellow field to the red. Choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholinesterase activities were concentrated in and near the inner plexiform layer, within which two peaks of activity for each enzyme were obtained. The distributions of enzyme activities indicate that populations of amacrine cells in the pigeon retina are cholinergic. The quantitative similarities between the enzyme activities in red and yellow fields suggest that the cholinergic system may not be specifically involved in the increase in inner plexiform layer complexity across the pigeon retina.

Duke Scholars

Author Leonard Edward White Neurology, General & Community Neurology