Evaluation of Acetylcholine Synthesis and Release in Striatal Cholinergic Interneurons

Acetylcholine (ACh), an essential neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS), plays important roles in brain functions, such as memory and learning, and is associated with some neuronal disorders. It is thus very important to explore and better understand cholinergic transmission in CNS. Recently, we developed new methods to evaluate ACh synthesis and release in brain slices that have been preloaded with [3H]choline. In this chapter, the protocols for brain slice incubation and ACh extraction, HPLC analysis for ACh identification, and details of the ultra-mini superfusion system are introduced, and some results obtained from rat striatal segments are discussed.