Effects of adrenalectomy on brain weight, body weight and weight of certain endocrine organs in rats.

Albino rats, both males and females were adrenalectomized (Adx.), either on the eleventh or the twenty fifth day after birth and the body weights recorded daily until the sixtieth day when all the animals were sacrificed. Brain (cerebrum and cerebellum), pituitary, thyroid and gonads were weighed post mortem. Body weights decreased in all the Adx. animals, the decrease being statistically significant in the male rats Adx. on day 11 (p less than 0.05). Both cerebrum and cerebellum recorded a significant increase in weight in both the male Adx. groups, whereas pituitary, thyroid and gonads showed a significant decrease. Changes observed in 25 day Adx. female rats were not statistically significant. Thus, adrenalectomy in the young rats appears to have differential effects on the somatic, neural and endocrine growth.