Effect of experimental ischemia on neurotransmitter amines in the gerbil brain.

In the gerbil cerebral infarction was produced by unilateral carotid ligation. 3.5 hours later, when the neurological deficit was fully developed, hemisphere dopamine (DA) showed little change from normal. It seems unlikely that changes in DA are the direct cause of the turning behavior shown by these animals. Slight changes in norepinephrine (NE) occurred on the operated side but 4 hydroxy-3-methoxy phenyl-ethyleneglycol sulphate (MOPEG-SO4) levels were not affected. Significant falls in 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) were found on the operated side but there was also a trend for both 5HT and 5-HIAA to fall on the unoperated side. These changes occurred in clincally affected and unaffected animals and their clinical significance is unproven.