Regional alterations in hexokinase activity within rat brain during dehydration and rehydration.

Histochemical localization and photodensitometric quantification of the metabolic enzyme, hexokinase (HK), were used to study changes in brain metabolic activity that occur during the development of (5 days) and recovery from (7 days) dehydration. In water-deprived (WD) rats, HK activity increased after 2 days in the subfornical organ (SFO, 22%), nucleus circularis (NC, 36%), parvo- and magnocellular divisions of the paraventricular nucleus (pPVH, 17%; mPVH, 46%) and supraoptic nucleus (SON, 46%). Activity in SFO declined to control levels at 3 days but increased again thereafter. In pPVH, mPVH, and SON, activity was elevated until the end of the experiment. In NC, activity returned to control levels within 2 days of drinking by the rats. In salt-loaded (2% NaCl in water) rats, changes were similar to those of WD rats up to 2 days of dehydration (SFO, 25%; NC, 20%; pPVH, 16%; mPVH, 38%; SON, 50%). Activity in SFO and pPVH returned to control levels after 3 days and remained unchanged. In mPVH, SON, and NC, activity remained elevated and declined to control levels when salt-free water was provided. Results confirm that water deprivation is a stronger dehydrating stimulus than salt loading. In addition, metabolic activity, as measured by HK activity, varies daily during periods of dehydration and rehydration. These changes cannot always be predicted from results obtained only at the end of a period of dehydration. It is concluded that it is necessary to study dehydration-induced changes in brain metabolism on a daily basis to more fully understand the roles of discrete brain regions in the regulation of body fluids.