Immunohistochemistry and Radioimmunoassay of Brain Amines

Immunologic techniques are being used extensively in investigation of brain transmitters and there are prospects for significant advances in the the use of this approach. A variety of techniques has been developed for production of antisera with characteristics that make them suitable for use in radioimmunoassay or in immunohistochemistry For radioimmunoassay, it is desirable that the antiserum have a high degree of specificity for the substance itself or for a derivative that can be formed readily For immunohistochemistry in fixed tissue, it is necessary that the antiserum recognize the substance fixed to tissue proteins. Radioimmunoassays have been developed for several of the amine neurotransmitters and their derivatives. For the most part, these assays have been applied to these substances in the circulation As yet, the application of radioimmunoassays to the examination of brain tissue has been limited Immunohistochemistry has been applied widely to the examination of indoleamines in brain tissue, with much less work being done on the catecholamines and on other substances