Monday, May 17, 2010

Effects of Sympathectomy on the mean decrease in HBF (Hypothalamic blood flow)

Intrahypothalamic injection of 0.1 mug of tyramine caused a mean decrease in HBF of 15.6 ml/100 g per min (P less than 0.001). This effect of intrahypothalamic injection of tyramine was abolished by bilateral cervical sympathectomy but not by chemical sympathectomy of the upper brainstem. These results support the idea that local CBF, at least in the hypothalamus, is mediated by two distinct pathways. The first consists of the sympathetic nerves which arise in the cervical ganglia, and which activate intrahypothalamic alpha-receptors to cause constriction. The second is an entirely intracerebral noradrenergic pathway which stimulates beta-receptors to cause vasodilation.
http://circres.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/circresaha;38/3/140
Circulation Research, Vol 38, 140-145, Copyright © 1976 by American Heart Association