Basal and stress-induced corticosterone secretion is decreased by lesion of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons.

There is evidence that certain psychopathological conditions are accompanied by a dysfunction in both the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis and dopaminergic systems, although the relationship between these two systems is as yet unclear. In the present study we investigated the effect of a specific lesion of dopamine mesencephalic neurons (Ventral Tegmental Area) on basal and stress-induced corticosterone secretion. Three weeks after injection of 6-OHDA, there was a depletion in dopamine in the frontal cortex and in the ventral and dorsal striatum, whereas norepinephrine and serotonin levels were unchanged. The dopamine-lesioned rats exhibited a lower basal and stress-induced corticosterone secretion than the sham-lesioned animals. The results indicate that the dopaminergic system may have a stimulatory influence on the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis.