[The role of the catecholaminergic innervation of the neocortical frontal area in regulating the behavior of rats with differing resistance to acoustic stress].

Influence of 6-OHDA (40 mcg) injection in the frontal neocortex on behaviour was studied in Wistar rats with different resistance to sound-induced stress. Reduction of exploratory activity in the open field, reactivity to stimuli of different modality and deterioration of food-procuring conditioning were observed after 6-OHDA treatment of stress-resistant rats. On the contrary, treatment of non-resistant rats with 6-OHDA increased the reactivity to stimuli of different modality and the learning capacity. Thus, catecholaminergic system of the frontal neocortex is differently involved in the regulation of cognitive processes in stress-resistant and non-resistant rats.