The effect of lesions of the epithalamus on plasma aldosterone and corticosterone levels in Japanese quail.

The peripheral plasma aldosterone and corticosterone concentrations were measured by CPBA and RIA method in Japanese quails in which the subcommissural organ (SCO) or the habenula had been destroyed. Lesion of the SCO reduced the plasma aldosterone level by 50%. The lesion of n. habenularis medialis and lateralis on the other hand did not affect the plasma corticosteroid level. It is suggested that in birds the SCO takes part in a multifactorial regulation of aldosterone secretion.