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Identity of the Cerebellar Factor

Abstract

EXTRACTS of mammalian cerebellum, suitably injected into the cerebral circulation of the decerebrate rabbit, produce an increase in the electrical activity of the cerebellum. This effect, first described by Crossland and Mitchell1, is due to a hitherto unidentified substance, provisionally called the cerebellar factor. The cerebellar factor has been found in some other localized regions of the nervous system, particularly the optic nerves. It is present in small amounts in the cerebral hemispheres, but absent from the dorsal columns of the spinal cord2. A characteristic feature of the cerebellar factor is its greater stability in alkaline than in acid solutions. In alkali (pH 14) biological activity is still present after 5 min boiling, but it gradually disappears thereafter; in acid (pH 1) no detectable activity remains after boiling for 5 sec2. Although active on central neurones, the cerebellar factor appears to be inactive on smooth or striated muscle and on autonomic ganglia.

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References

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CROSSLAND, J., WOODRUFF, G. & MITCHELL, J. Identity of the Cerebellar Factor. Nature 203, 1388–1389 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/2031388a0

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