Determination of norepinephrine in brain perfusates using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

A procedure for determining catecholamine levels in brain perfusates is described. A single-step extraction on alumina followed by reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography and electrochemical detection was employed. Levels of norepinephrine are reported in push-pull perfusates of the rat hypothalamus under baseline and various ion substitution conditions. The resulting estimated norepinephrine release values are correlated with the behavior of the animal. The data are discussed in terms of the validity of the measures and the noradrenergic mediation of behavior.