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Abstract
The distribution of monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) in the human brain was studied by
quantitative autoradiography using L-[3H]deprenyl as a ligand. Two postmortem brains
from patients without any known neurological diseases were used in this study. Cryosections
of 100 microns thickness were taken on tape/paper and transferred to gelatinized glass
plates. The sections were incubated with 10 nM L-[3H]deprenyl for 1 h and exposed
to a film at 4 degrees C for 4 weeks. The autoradiograms were analyzed by computerized
densitometry. High L-[3H]deprenyl binding was observed in caudate nucleus, putamen,
cingulate gyrus and insula cortex. Moderate to low binding was seen in globus pallidus,
temporal and parietal cortex and in various thalamus nuclei. Occipital cortex showed
the lowest binding among the cortex regions and white matter the lowest among all
the regions studied. All the regions in case 2 (aged 67) showed higher degree of binding
when compared with case 1 (aged 58), which is in agreement with previous results showing
an increase in MAO-B activity with age. When the specific binding of L-[3H]deprenyl
was plotted against the MAO-B activities estimated biochemically in punches from the
same areas, a high positive correlation was found.