Fast fixation of brain in situ by high intensity microwave irradiation: application to neurochemical studies.

The levels of acetylcholine and choline were measured in various brain regions of the rat after fixation by microwave irradiation of the head and after decapitation and subsequent freezing in liquid nitrogen. Levels of acetylcholine were increased by approximately 50% after microwave irradiation, while choline levels were reduced. These biochemical findings were correlated with virtually complex loss of acetylcholinesterase and NADH-diaphorase activity after 1 s exposure to microwave irradiation at a level of 5 kW.