Effect on temperature of 5-hydroxytryptamine injected into the cerebral ventricles of cats.

1. In unanaesthetized cats the effect on rectal temperature was examined of 5-HT injected through a Collison cannula chronically implanted into the left lateral ventricle. The response depended on the amount of 5-HT injected and on the solvent employed.2. An intraventricular injection of 200 mug 5-HT creatinine sulphate dissolved in 0.9% NaCl solution resulted in a long-lasting rise often interrupted initially by a transient fall in temperature.3. This fall became more prominent with larger doses of 5-HT; even more when the 5-HT was dissolved in distilled water, and then the hyperthermic effect was attenuated.4. It is concluded that intraventricular 5-HT raises rectal temperature in cats when the amount is not too large, and that a hypothermic effect when it occurs results from paralysis of cells in the anterior hypothalamus which are excited by small doses. This would be similar to the actions of acetylcholine in the perfused superior cervical ganglion of the cat, where small doses excite but large doses paralyse the ganglion cells.5. An intraventricular injection of distilled water produced a steady rise in temperature which is attributed to release of 5-HT.