Effect of acute stress on catecholamine content in the hypothalamic nuclei of Japanese quail

Concentration of noradrenaline, adrenaline and dopamine in eight hypothalamic nuclei or areas (nucleus hypothalamicus medialis anterior, n. periventricularis magnocellularis, n. hypothalamicus lateralis anterior, n. hypothalamicus medialis posterior, n. hypothalamicus lateralis posterior, eminentia medialis, n. tuberis, area hypothalamica posterior) have been determined by a sensitive radioenzymatic micromethod in male Japanese quail restrained for 30 min. In control quail the highest concentrations were found in the a. hypothalamica posterior, n. periventricularis magnocellularis and n. hypothalamicus medialis anterior; the lowest was in the n. hypothalamicus medialis posterior. After restraint, noradrenaline concentrations decreased in the n. periventricularis magnocellularis and n. hypothalamicus medialis posterior. However, the concentration of adrenaline increased in the n. tuberis under the same conditions. In stressed animals the dopamine concentration was lower than in controls in the n. periventicularis and higher in the n. tuberis.