Muscarinic acetylcholine M2 receptor densities in areas of the rat iso- and proisocortex (v1)

The present dataset provides the densities of a key neuromodulatory molecule in signal transfer, namely the muscarinic acetylcholine M2 receptor, in all isocortical and proisocortical areas of the rat brain. The agonistic binding site of the M2 receptors were visualized by means of quantitative *in vitro* receptor autoradiography and the selective tritiated ligand oxotremorine-M following an established experimental protocol, and neighbouring sections were processed histologically for the visualization of cell bodies. Isocortical and proisocortical areas were identified based on cytoarchitectonic criteria and differences in the regional and laminar distribution of the M2 receptor, and receptor densities quantified by densitometric analysis. We provide here the M2 receptor densities of 48 architectonically distinct areas belonging to the entire rat iso- and proisocortex.