Abstract
1. The amount of cholesterol, cerebroside, total phospholipid and the constituents (i.e. lecithin, cephalin and sphingomyelin) contained in the four parts of the central nervous system (i.e. cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem, and spinal cord) was determined in the ox, rabbit and hen and that contained in the whole brain in the snake, frog and mackerel.
2. The ox cerebrum was separated into the white and the grey matter for the analysis of the above-named substances contained in each part.
3. In the rabbit and hen, the spinal cord was found to contain cholesterol, cerebroside and total phospholipid in higher concentration than other parts of their brain.
4. Cephalin occupies the largest proportion of total phospholipid in any species of animals and in any part of the brain studied.
5. In the ox brain various lipids were contained in greater concentration in the white matter than in the grey, but the difference of lecithin content between them is not so remarkable than that of other lipids.
6. The relative concentration of cholesterol and cerebroside, as determined on the basis of “essential lipid, ” was greater in the white matter than in the grey, but quite the contrary was the case with that of phospholipids.
The author is indebted to Dr. R. Hirohata, Professor of the Department of Medical Chemistry and Dr. S. Naka, Professor of the Department of Neuropsychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, for their valuable advices and encouragements during this work.
