Quantitative histochemistry of the cerebral cortex.

The intralaminar distributions of representative brain enzymes have been determined in rat somatosensory and human frontal isocortex by means of quantitative microchemical techniques.Results of experiments upon cytochrome oxidase, l-alanylglycine dipeptidase, acetylcholinesterase, and two adenosinetriphosphatases in rat cortex are described and their anatomical significance discussed.The essentially similar intracortical patterns of the same five enzymes in human frontal isocortex suggest uniformity in the architectonic organization of metabolic events in mammalian cerebral cortex.The value and limitations of microchemical analyses upon microgram-sized tissue samples are briefly discussed, especially with respect to their usefulness in neurochemistry.