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Catecholamine Content Changes in Brain Regions of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats Under Immobilization Stress
Author(s) -
Nomura Masahiko,
Okamura Kunihiro
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1989.tb02544.x
Subject(s) - catecholamine , endocrinology , medicine , chemistry
We compared the effect of immobilization stress on noradrenaline (NA) and 3‐methoxy‐4‐hydroxyphenyleth‐yleneglycol (MHPG) content in two brain regions–diencephalon and pons‐medulla oblongata–in young and adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar‐Kyoto rats (WKY). In SHR, NA content decreased with time after the onset of the stress, whereas levels of its metabolite MHPG increased. In WKY, NA and MHPG showed no change. The MHPG/NA ratio in both regions increased relative to the duration of the stress in SHR, whereas it remained almost constant in WKY. The rate of increase in the ratio was much higher in the diencephalon of adult (12‐week‐old) than of young (4‐week‐old) SHR. In SHR, NA turnover in the brain is readily affected by environmental stress, and these changes in the noradrenergic system may induce or sustain hypertension.