Regional rat brain noradrenaline turnover in response to restraint stress.

Male Wistar rats were starved for 12 hr and then subjected to either 2 hr of wire mesh "envelope" restraint at room temperature; 2 hr of supine restraint in a specially constructed harness at room temperature or were not restrained. Eight brain regions were examined for NA level and the level of its major metabolite, MHPG-SO4. Plasma corticosterone and gastric ulcer incidence were also measured. All restrained rats displayed marked elevations in MHPG-SO4 levels in most brain regions. In addition, several brain regions in restrained animals showed a reduction in NA level. All restrained rats showed elevated plasma corticosterone levels and evidence of gastric lesions. In general, supine restraint produced greater alterations in regional brain NA turnover, greater evidence of ulcer disease, and higher plasma corticosterone levels than did wire mesh restraint. These data suggest that acute but intense stress in the form of restraint causes markedly altered brain NA activity--a possible neurochemical mechanism underlying the phenomenon of stress-induced disease.