Zinc and Hippocampal Function

Zinc and Hippocampal Cytoarchitecture Considerable attention has been focused recently on the hippocampus as a brain region in which a relationship between a trace metal and neuronal function may be amenable to investigation. Maske (1955) made the initial observation that a metal was apparently localized in high concentration within this phylogenetically old and relatively large cortical area. While using an intravital chelating agent, dithizone (diphenylthiocarbazone), in a study of pancreatic zinc, Maske fortuitously examined the brains of his experimental animals. He noted that parts of the hippocampal formation had a highly selective affini ty for the stain and suggested that the chromophore resulted from deposition in vivo of a zinc dithi-zonate complex. This idea was supported by subsequent observations that Zn accumulates in the same hippocampal area as that stained by dithizone (von Euler, 1961; Hassler and Soremark, 1968).