Regional changes in brain norepinephrine content in relation to mouse-killing behavior by rats

Abstract

Three separate series of experiments were conducted as follows: isolation housing, bilateral olfactory bulbectomy, and Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) administration. All three experimental manipulations produced an increase in the incidence of mouse-killing behavior. In order to elucidate the possible neural mechanisms mediating the killing response, norepinephrine (NE) content was measured in 6 discrete areas of the brain (the cortex, striatum, amygdala, midbrain, hypothalamus, and pons plus medulla oblongata). Following isolation housing, no significant difference in NE levels of any of the brain areas was demonstrated between the aggregated and isolated rats, nor between the killer and nonkiller rats. The rats with olfactory bulbectomy exhibited high NE content in the hypothalamus as compared with the intact or sham-operated rats, but there was no significant difference between the killer and nonkiller rats. After injection of THC, NE content in both the hypothalamus and pons plus medulla oblongata was decreased independent of the manifestation of killing response. The evidence indicates no regional change in brain NE levels specific to the killing response and suggests that brain NE may not participate in the mediation of mouse-killing behavior.