Abstract
This paper reviewed the metabolism of noradrenaline (NA) in the brains of experimental animals and human beings, as well as the relationships between NA turnover and levels of 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol sulfate and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol sulfate (MHPG-SO4) in the rat brain. The procedure for simultaneous assay of NA and MHPG-SO4 in the rat brain was described. The fluorometric method is sensitive, accurate and rapid enough to determine both NA and MHPG-SO4 in a small amount of brain sample, and it is useful in the study of NA metabolism and turnover in discrete brain regions of the rat. The regional levels of NA and MHPG-SO4, their diurnal variations, and developmental changes from birth to 15 months were measured. Changes in regional NA turnover caused by a variety of acute and chronic stressful stimuli were related to behavioral and physiological changes in the stressed animals. In addition, examination of the interaction of opiate agents and the NA system in immobilization-stressed, methamphetamine-treated and untreated animals showed that the effect of opiate agents on NA turnover in stressed animals might be linked to some functional changes.
