Cerebellar metabolism of phosphatidylcholine and its hydrosoluble precursors during bicuculline-induced convulsive seizures.

The cerebellar incorporation of labeled choline into phosphatidylcholine (PC) and its hydrosoluble choline-containing precursors has been examined during the course of bicuculline-induced convulsive seizures. The labeling of phosphocholine and of PC diminished in these conditions whereas that of cytidine-5'-diphosphate choline (CDP-choline) was practically unaffected. Moreover, the cerebellar pools of phosphocholine and CDP-choline increased by 75-100% after 6 min of convulsions; these compounds were formed from lipid through the action of phospholipases or through the reverse action of choline phosphotransferase. From the data reported in this paper it should also be inferred that the cytidylyltransferase reaction was activated. It is therefore concluded that the cerebellar metabolism of PC and its precursors was affected in various ways by the bicuculline-induced convulsive seizures.