[The regulatory effect of VIP on exploratory behavior of the rat and on the neuromediator level in the normal brain and in frontal lobectomy].

In chronic experiments on 35 rats, effects on the animals behaviour of intracerebroventricular administration of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and VIP antiserum were studied under the "open field" conditions before, and on, the 4th and 9th day after local (50%) extirpation of frontal cortex. Sham-operated animals have been used as a control. A considerable regulatory action of VIP on rats' research behaviour was shown (quantity of crossed quadrants, vertical rearing) on the 9th day after the lobectomy. After the operation, the content of noradrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5HT) was determined spectrofluorometrically in cortex and subcortical structures. The VIP seemed to exert a regulatory normalizing effect on the neurotransmitters balance in cerebral structures under frontal lobectomy conditions. The most considerable effects were observed in subcortical brain structures and were due to VIP antiserum administration.