Abstract
We found decreased catecholamine (norepinephrine and epinephrine) levels in selective hypothalamic nuclei of the rat after complete midbrain hemitransections. In contrast, the activity of the epinephrine-forming enzyme (phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase, PNMT, EC 2.1.1.28) was unchanged in the hypothalamus after the lesions. Our results demonstrate a dissociation between hypothalamic catecholamine levels and PNMT activity, and suggest that hypothalamic PNMT may not be localized in catecholaminergic axons originating in the brainstem.
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