Title: Effect of Methylpentynol on Acetylcholine in the Rat's Brain
Abstract: RECENT observations that methylpentynol, a sedative-hypnotic agent, interferes with transmission in certain cholinergic synapses1, have led to the demonstration by Marley and Paton that this action is due in part to a reduction in the output of acetylcholine, at least from the superior cervical ganglion of the cat2. In the course of work in this and other laboratories on the influence of a number of appropriate neuro-pharmacological agents on the acetylcholine content of the rat's brain, it became apparent that the administration of depressants of the central nervous system in general is followed by a rise in brain acetylcholine (unpublished work and ref. 3). It seemed essential, therefore, for us to include methylpentynol in our survey, because this central-depressant might, in the light of the findings of Marley and Paton, depress the output of acetylcholine by the brain, possibly leading to a depression of the total level of acetylcholine. On the other hand, if release of acetylcholine alone, and not its synthesis, were interfered with, one might expect an accumulation and an increase in the amount of acetylcholine in the brain.