[Fundamental study on nuclear medicine imaging of cholinergic innervation in the brain: changes of neurotransmitter and receptor in animal model of Alzheimer's disease].
A fundamental study was performed on the nuclear medicine imaging of cholinergic innervation in the brain. In a cholinergic denervation model prepared by producing an unilateral basal forebrain lesion in the rat, which is reported to be one of animal models of Alzheimer's disease, quantitative determination of acetylcholine in parietal cortices revealed statistically significant 31% decrease on an average in the ipsilateral side relative to the contralateral side to the lesion. In vitro receptor autoradiography showed no significant differences in total, M1 and M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors between the ipsilateral and contralateral cortices to the lesion. Simultaneous mapping of presynaptic cholinergic innervation using 3H-2-(4-phenylpiperidino) cyclohexanol (AH5183) demonstrated significant 14% decrease of AH5183 binding on an average in the ipsilateral relative to the contralateral fronto-parieto-temporal cortices to the lesion. These results suggest that AH5183 is a promising ligand for mapping cholinergic innervation in nuclear medicine imaging.