The activity of transketolase in mouse brain was 5.7 nmol/min/mg protein measured by an enzyme-coupled spectrophotometric assay. The apparent Km for ribose-5-phosphate was 330 microM, for D-xylulose-5-phosphate was 120 microM, and for thiamine pyrophosphate was 7 microM. However, thiamine pyrophosphate remained tightly bound to transketolase in homogenates in which it dissociated completely from another thiamine pyrophosphate-dependent enzyme, the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. These data suggest that loss of transketolase activity is likely to be a later consequence of thiamine deficiency in mammalian brain than is decreased activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.