Abstract
Recently, various problems concerning the mechanism of the action of tranquilizing agents have gradually attracted the attention of many investigators. In the field of psychopharmacology, the depletion of catecholamines and 5-hydroxytryptamine in the brain of laboratory animals after administration of some tranquilizers were studied by many investigators (1-6). In these studies, chlorpromazine and meprobamate were found to have no effect on the depletion of the brain catecholamine contents in the physiological condition, but reserpine and tetrabenazine were found effective (7-15).
On the other hand, authors were unable to find any conclusive data in literatures whether tranquilizers affect on the brain catecholamine contents in abnormal conditions of animals, i.e., stressed state.
In relation to these reports, the effects of anxiety provoked by stress (electric shock) on the brain catecholamine levels of rats and the possibility of inhibiting effects of some tranquilizers on the catecholamine levels were investigated.
