Does the destruction of catecholaminergic neurons in newborn rats influence the modulator function of the cholinergic system?

The influence of the destruction of the catecholaminergic (CA) system on the reactions of neurons of the somatosensory zone of the cortex elicited by stimulation of the sciatic nerve, and on the features of the modulation of these reactions following the stimulation of the region of the basal nuclei (source of cholinergic innervation of the neocortex) and the microiontophoretic application of acetylcholine (ACh), was investigated in mongrel infant rats, 21-31 days of age. It was demonstrated that destruction of the CA system in newborn rats increases the reactivity of neurons somatosensory cortex to sensory stimulation, has no influence on the modulating effect of the cholinergic system, of the forebrain, and leads to intensification of the modulating influence of applied ACh [2].