Turnover of brain adrenergic transmitters in Quaking mice.

Abstract

Quaking mice, neurological mutants of the C57 BL/6J strain have a markedly deficient myelination of the CNS(Sidman, Dickie and Appel, 1964). Many studies have been carried out on their lipids (Jacque, Harpin and Baumann, 1969; Neskovic, Nussbaum and Mandel, 1969, 1970; Kurihara, Nussbaum and Mandel, 1970; Sarlieve, Neskovic and Mandel, 1971; Singh, Spritz and Geyer, 1971) for this reason, but little attention has been paid to other aspects of their aminergic transmitters metabolism. During the course of our work, Tillement, Debarle, Simon and Boissier (1970) reported on the transmitter levels in Quaking mice. The reasons for thinking that the monoamine metabolism of these mice might be altered are as follows. The trembling might be associated with a change in the activity and therefore metabolism of dopaminergic structures. Chronic stress due to permanent tremor might induce changes in norepinephrine metabolism. Since there are changes in the sleep patterns of Quaking mice (Valatx and Jouvet, 1971), there might be changes in brain serotonin metabolism. This study of the turnover of norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin in the whole brains of control and Quaking mice is the preliminary to detailed examination of the turnover of the transmitters in well‐defined brain regions.