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Alterations in hypothalamic serotonergic-catecholaminergic relationships in aging C57BL/6J female mice
N Telford1, C V Mobbs, H H Osterburg
1Andrus Gerontology Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089-0191.
Abstract:
The effects of aging and estradiol on the three major hypothalamic monoaminergic systems were measured in female C57BL/6J mice. Both aging and estradiol treatment induced small (10-15%) changes in the levels and ratios of the monoamines and their catabolites. In addition, the levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, the major serotonergic catabolite, were strongly correlated with the levels of the two major dopaminergic catabolites, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid. Aging affected the relationship between 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and the dopaminergic catabolites such that the slope of the regression lines of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid on the dopaminergic compounds was increased in older mice. The age-related alteration in the correlations between the serotonergic and dopaminergic compounds may be due to an effect of aging on the acid export system.