Effects of catecholamines infused into the brain of young chickens

1. (-)-Noradrenaline, (-)-alpha-methylnoradrenaline and (-)-isoprenaline were infused into various brain regions of 12-21 day chicks. When infused into the hypothalamic area, but not the cerebral hemisphere or posterior mesencephalon, these amines produced behavioural sleep, lowered temperature and blood pressure and reduced oxygen consumption; electrocortical sleep activity usually ensued but this was not marked and frequently dissociation between electrocortical activity and behaviour occurred. After monoamine oxidase inhibition, which prolonged the action of noradrenaline, dopamine had similar effects.2. The effects of the catecholamines were prevented or substantially reduced by pretreatment with phenoxybenzamine given intravenously or into the hypothalamus but not by intravenous injection of propranolol. However, intrahypothalamic infusion of propranolol prevented the temperature, but not the behavioural effects of noradrenaline. The implications of this are discussed.3. That the effects were similar but more intense, apart from electrocortical changes, and of longer duration than those seen after intravenous injection of catecholamines suggests that in young chicks these amines penetrate from the blood into the brain and elicit their effects through a localized region, presumably the hypothalamus.