Effect of surgical isolation of the hypothalamus on its neurotransmitter content.

The concentrations of norepinephrine, dopamine-beta-hydroxylase, dopamine, tyrosine hydroxylase, phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase, serotonin, tryptophan hydroxylase, histamine, glutamic acid decarboxylase, and choline acetyltransferase were determined in selected hypothalamic nuclei and in the median eminence after deafferentation of the medial basal hypothalamus. Norepinephrine and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase fell markedly while dopamine and tyrosine hydroxylase did not. Serotonin also decreased in all regions studied; histamine decreased in none. Choline acetyltransferase, phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase, and glutamic acid decarboxylase declined in some areas, but not in others.