The effect of chlorpromazine on the acetylcholine content of certain areas of dog brain.

Malhotra and Pundlik (7) observed that after reserpine, there was increase in the acetylcholine content of the hypothalamus, the temporal lobe, the frontal lobe, the cerebellum, and the spinal cord whilst there was decrease in the hippocampus. Malhotra and Mehta (8), reported that after meprobamate, there was significant increase in the acetylcholine content of the hypothalamus and the hippocampus and correlated their findings with the electrical changes in these areas of the brain after meprobamate. Takahashi et al., (13) have reported that after chlorpromazine (CPZ), there is no significant effect in the acetylcholine content in rat whole brain. It may, however, be mentioned that the metabolism of different areas of the brain differsconsiderably (9, 5). Thus, a mild degree of hypoxia may selectively induce metabolic changes in central nervous system which may not be apparent if judged by the metabolism of the brain as a whole. The same may be true as far as neurohormones are concerned and the estimation of neurohormones of the whole brain may not throw much light on their metabolism in health, disease or after drugs. It was, therefore, censidered worthwhile to study the effectof CPZ, a phenothiazine tranquillizer on the acetylcholine content of certain selective areas of central nervous system of dog.