Metabolism of [14c]leucine and [14c]acetate in Sensorimotor Cortex, Thalamus, Caudate Nucleus and Cerebellum of the Cat

Abstract— —In the head of the caudate nucleus, the relative specific activity of glutamine (glutamic acid specific activity = 1) was less than 1 with intravenous [14C]leucine as the tracer metabolite. This is in contrast to observations made in other brain areas (cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, pons, and medulla) where the relative specific activity of glutamine was greater than 1. This is also in contrast to findings when [l‐14C]acetate was utilized as the tracer; under these conditions, in all brain areas, including the head of the caudate nucleus, the relative specific activity of glutamine was greater than 1. It is inferred that the differences in metabolism of [14C]leucine and [14C]acetate in the head of the caudate from that in other brain areas reflect differences in compartmentation of the glutamate‐glutamine system.