[Blood count, leukocyte alkaline phosphatase activity, and blood sugar levels in Wistar rats as a function of the reaction type (level of higher nervous activity) of the animal].

The corpuscular blood composition, ALP activity and glucose level of 20 E+ and 20 E- adult male Wistar rats were measured without stress. We wanted to find differences due to the specific reaction type--emotive/non-emotive--of the animals. E+ animals had higher counts of small erythrocytes and a higher total number of leucocytes than E- rats. When the compositions of the blood of several inbred strains were compared, the composition of the red blood, total number of leucocytes and lymphocytes of E- -Wistar rats and E- -Sprague-Dawley rats were most similar. Differences in the activity of the ALP and in the glucose levels we found are similar to those in literature on this topic. When measured in a condition of inactivity the lower glucose values of E+ Wistar rats correspond to the excretion of smaller amounts of urinary catecholamines. Our findings, as well as those mentioned in the literature, confirm the assumption that the reaction type--which corresponds to the type of higher nervous activity--influences all functions of the organism including the composition of the blood.