Alteration of the turnover of dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine in rat brain associated with hypothermia.

The alteration of monoamines and their metabolites in the brain in response to hypothermia was studied using rats subjected to a cold and immobilization stress. The experiments were designed to compare the responses in the "hypothermal" rats with those in the "normothermal" ones which received the same stress except for the change in body temperature. It has been found that the contents of norepinephrine (NE) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in various cerebral regions were significantly decreased during hypothermia. These decreases were readily reversed by the rewarming of animals. Moreover, the increase in the content of 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA), the metabolite of 5-HT, was also detected in some cerebral regions where the decrease of 5-HT was observed. Although the dopamine (DA) contents in all cerebral regions examined were found to be unaltered, its metabolites, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and/or homovanillic acid (HVA) contents in most regions in the brain showed a significant elevation during and/or after the occurrence of hypothermia. These results suggest that the metabolic turnovers of 5-HT and DA in various cerebral regions may be accelerated during hypothermia.