Adrenalectomy decreases nerve growth factor in young adult rat hippocampus.

The effect of adrenalectomy on the level of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the hippocampus and on the distribution of choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity in forebrain cholinergic neurons of developing rats was studied. Biological and immunohistochemical determinations indicated that in 40-day-old rats, adrenalectomy reduced the NGF level in the hippocampus and the choline acetyltransferase immunoreactivity in the septal lateral bands. Furthermore, autoradiographic studies showed that adrenalectomy causes changes in the distribution and expression of NGF receptors in the hippocampus. These results suggest that adrenal hormones are involved in the regulation of the NGF level in the hippocampus and of NGF receptors in the septum.