Depletion of brain noradrenaline and dopamine by 6-hydroxydopamine

1. After intracisternal administration, 6-hydroxydopamine had a greater effect on brain noradrenaline than on dopamine.2. Administration of two doses of 6-hydroxydopamine increased the depletion of noradrenaline but not of dopamine.3. Small doses of 6-hydroxydopamine decreased the concentration of noradrenaline with little or no effect on dopamine. Tyrosine hydroxylase activity was not reduced with these treatments.4. While pargyline pretreatment offered no advantage in the depletion of brain noradrenaline after 6-hydroxydopamine, depletion of brain dopamine was greatly potentiated by this treatment. The reduction of striatal tyrosine hydroxylase activity observed after 6-hydroxydopamine was also potentiated by pargyline pretreatment.5. The amounts of labelled noradrenaline and dopamine formed from (3)H-tyrosine were greatly reduced by 6-hydroxydopamine treatment. After (3)H-DOPA, formation of noradrenaline was greatly reduced while formation of labelled dopamine was only moderately reduced suggesting that decarboxylation of DOPA can occur in other than catecholamine containing neurones.6. Desmethylimipramine and imipramine inhibited depletion of noradrenaline produced by 6-hydroxydopamine but did not alter depletion of dopamine. Reserpine did not inhibit depletion of catecholamines produced by 6-hydroxydopamine.7. Administration of 6-hydroxydopamine to developing rats lowered both noradrenaline and dopamine concentrations as well as the tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the brains of these animals.