Intracranial pressure in conscious rabbits after intraventricular reserpine.

Abstract

✓ Ventricular fluid pressure was measured continuously for 50 hours in conscious rabbits via a cannula implanted into the left lateral ventricle. Intraventricular injection of 25 µg reserpine (in a volume of 10 µl) resulted in increased pressure compared to that in non-injected controls during the first 7 to 10 hours. This was interpreted as depletion of noradrenaline in intracranial sympathetic nerves leading to increased cerebral blood volume and increased cerebrospinal fluid production. During the remainder of the experiment, the ventricular fluid pressure was reduced, probably due to a predominance of the central depressant effects of reserpine.