Somatostatin selectively inhibits noradrenaline release from hypothalamic neurones.

Somatostatin in a hypothalamic peptide hormone which inhibits growth hormone release from the anterior pituitary. However, biochemical and morphological investigations have revealed that somatostatin is located not only in the hypothalamus but also in other brain areas (for example the cerebral cortex) where it occurs and in nerve cell bodies and fibres from which it can be released in a Ca2+-dependent manner. It has therefore been suggested that the neuropeptide may have functions in the central nervous system other than its effect on growth hormone release; one possible action is that of a neuromodulator. Therefore, hypothalamic and cerebral cortical slices of the rat were used to examine whether somatostatin modifies the electrically or CaCl2-evoked release of tritiated monoamines from monoaminergic neurones. it is reported here that somatostatin inhibits 3H-noradrenaline release from the hypothalamus (but not from the cerebral cortex) but does not affect the release of 3H-dopamine and 3H-serotonin.