Brain ischemia was produced in gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) by the bilateral ligation of the carotid arteries. Definite changes in the energy status of brain demonstrated that carotid occlusion was effective. Five minutes before ligation, an intraventricular injection of either saline or cytidine disphosphate choline (CDP-choline, 0.6 micromol/brain, 3 microliter) was given to groups of animals. Control animals, with and without CDP-choline, together with the ischemic groups, were decapitated directly into liquid nitrogen; 10 min after arterial ligation. Brain free fatty acids, neutral lipids and phospholipids, which were labeled in vivo by the intraventricular injection of [1-14C]arachidonic acid (0.4-0.6 micro Ci, 6-9 nmol) 2 hr prior to ligation, were extracted, purified, and separated by thin-layer chromatographic procedures. The CDP-choline treatment noticeably corrected the increase of total and individual fatty acids due to ischemia and the increase of their radioactivity content. The changes in neutral lipids, particularly in the diacyl glycerol fraction, were also corrected by the injection of the nucleotide. CDP-choline partially reversed the decreased of brain phosphatidylcholine and of its labeling, which was due to ischemia. All the data indicate that the prior injection of CDP-choline stimulates the choline phosphotransferase reaction of brain towards synthesis of phosphatidylcholine and prevents the release of free fatty acids, particularly of arachidonic acid, associated with ischemia.

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The present study is based on the hypothesis that Parkinson’s disease is not a single homogeneous entity and that parkinsonians with intellectual impairment are a distinct subgroup of the parkinsonian population. An assessment of cognitive functions was performed on 70 patients with Parkinson’s disease and on 90 control patients. Analysis of their performances led to the division of parkinsonians into two subgroups: with and without neuropsychological impairment. Investigation of the clinical characteristics of the two subgroups showed that parkinsonians who are mentally impaired differ from other parkinsonians in that they present a more marked severity of the extrapyramidal syndrome with predominant bradykinesia and an earlier deteriorating response to levodopa treatment.

The biosynthesis of choline and ethanolamine phosphoglycerides was tested in vivo in different brain areas of the rat during aging. Mixtures of [2-3H] glycerol and [Me-14C] choline or [2-3H] glycerol and [2-14C] ethanolamine were injected into lateral ventricle of the brain as lipid precursors and their incorporation into corresponding phospholipid was examined. A significant decrease of synthesis of both phosphoglycerides takes place in cerebral cortex and in the striatum, and is already apparent at 9 months of age with no further decrease or change thereafter. No significant change takes place in the cerebellum. The unchanged absorption of injected water-soluble precursors, together with the lack of any significant change of phospholipid/protein ratio in all examined brain areas, suggests that the incorporation of both glycerol and nitrogen bases are affected by aging.